Recent Olympic bronze medal winning figure skater Piper Gilles joins the 2026 Olympics three years after her ovarian cancer diagnosis. Diagnosed in 2023 she was experiencing what she thought were period pains and extreme fatigue. Doctors discovered a cyst with a tumor on her left ovary. She had to take a break from her skating training for surgery but was back on the ice within a month. No further treatment was necessary, though she spent the next couple years anxious that the cancer would return.

"I think it’s a great example for anybody going through any sort of dark time, mental health or health issues, that you can do hard things no matter what...It just made me appreciate every moment in life. It’s like, every day I get to wake up and go to the rink, it’s a blessing — even if it’s hard. I’m glad I get to go through the hard stuff because the alternative is way worse"

Read more of Gille's story here.