Madsen's body was discovered the next day by the U.S. Coast Guard. Madsen had been . Others have made the journey solo. The world behind her, Madsen was now inthe place that had made her whole. The plane couldnt land. Or that shed simply stayed in the water too long; because of the lack of sensation in Madsenslegs, she might not have felt the numbness of hypothermia setting in, at which point it would have been too difficult to pull herself aboard. I was praying for it with every fiber in my body.. The boat sits close to the water and she is crazy strong. With extreme sadness, she wrote, I must announce that Angela Madsen will not complete her solo row to Hawaii.. Although she recovered enough to walk, Madsens time on the basketball court was over. Though the pain in her back and legs remained barely tolerable, she avoided a wheelchair for the next six years, picking up mechanic jobs at Sears and later U-Haul. her daughter died earlier this year. On Monday, she contacted the U.S. Coast Guard who organized a search mission and reached out to passing ships to coordinate a rescue. It would take some time, the Coast Guard told Simi, before itcould find a ship that could somewhat quickly reach such a remote area of the Pacificor a plane that could make the round-trip flight. Ms. Madsen training in Long Beach in 2009. Sports were out of the question. In two weeks, the salvage mission was called off. She was 60 years old. But she still yearned to do it alone. Angela was a warrior, as fierce as they come, Debra Madsen and Ms. Simi wrote on the website RowOfLife. As a result, the base commander discharged her with only a fraction of the medical benefits she needed. He claims she died accidentally inside the submarine, but he has confessed to throwing her body parts into the Baltic Sea. This eventually led to a search and rescue operation, which discovered Angelas body floating in the water next to her boat. Continue with Recommended Cookies. This past weekend, Debra Madsen posted an update to Angelas Facebook page, sharing some information with her fans for the first time. Last modified on Thu 25 Jun 2020 04.11 EDT. Now Im concerned, she wrote. When I celebrated my 34th birthday, she wrote, I found myself wishing I had never been born.. Madsen was not nervous about the expedition, but she was nervous about the raging pandemic. Madsen was introduced to rowing when her wheelchair basketball sponsor invited her to a learn-to-row event in Dana Point. Her first duty station was at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, near Irvine, California. Eight hundred dead. Alan Jackson's Daughter Mattie Finds New Love after Tragic Death of 28-Year-Old Husband & Calls Him 'Answer to Prayer' May 04, 2022. In 2013, a 13-year-old named Jahi McMath was declared dead after she suffered irreversible brain damage while having her . July 31, 2020. ), Whatever my purpose is in this life, my differently-abled, physically-challenged, broken-down, beaten-up body seems to be the vehicle required for me to achieve it, Madsen once wrote. Paralympic medalist Angela Madsen died trying to row by herself across the Pacific Ocean. In addition to her wife, Ms. Madsen is survived by three brothers, Ronald Jr., Clifford and Ira Madsen; her sister, Julia Jarrell; her stepmother, Betty (Hardin) Madsen; two stepchildren, Tiffany Corona and Ryan Moeller; and five grandchildren. Madsen's wife, Debra Madsen, said . The 60-year-old had been attempting to . Her Wilson volleyball sat like a shrine in one corner. Whatever my purpose is in this life, my differently-abled, physically-challenged, broken-down, beaten-up body seems to be the vehicle required for me to achieve it, Madsen once wrote. The water temperature was about 72 degrees. That just because youre in a chair or have some sort of disability, you shouldnt count yourself out., As May turned to June, the precious moments of calm out in the middle of the Pacific gave way to day after day of ten-foot waves and 25-knot winds. Superficial media interest merely surfaced before and after a rowit seemed only tragedy attracted mainstream attention. Its possible that hypothermia was setting in before she even realized it. The U.S. Coast Guard also decided to dispatch a C17 to fly over and report what they saw. The partner took her car, her disability checks and her savings, Ms. Madsen wrote. The time had come to fix the shackle that had broken back around Guadalupe. With one sister and five brothers, Angela grew up learning to fight and play sports. The 64-year-old actor opened up about his grief in a statement to the Los Angeles Times shared days after Hudson died by suicide. That seems to be as logical of an explanation as were likely to get. She says: I believe Angela entered the water about 10:30am, Sunday June 21. When Angela Madsen died during her attempt to row alone from California to Hawaii last month, few details were available about her last hours or what might have happened to her. She joined a few basketball teams. Madsen, 60, held six Guinness World Records and was aiming to set another as the first paraplegic and oldest woman to row the 2,500 miles from California to Hawaii. Her body was . #AngelaMadsen #Paralympian #Rowof. At around 8 p.m. Monday, the Coast Guard spotted her in the water, lifeless and tethered to her boat. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Its completely free for people with disabilities.. Im going to be safer out there.. After that, I thought she could do anything.. Soraya Simi, who was making a documentary about the crossing, said she was shocked by the news. But eventually, the pain became too overwhelming to work. Subscribe to our newsletter and get the latest news, gear reviews, travel tips, and all things adventure!. On Tuesday morning, Angela's wife Debra confirmed the . She had refined a wry sense of humor to deflect the hurt. Get breaking news alerts& today's headlines inyour inbox. . It is hard for Angelas friends and family to get closure, but hopefully they are finding some solace in their shared love for the woman. They steamed through the 2,500-mile trip in 60 days, sometimes clockingover 70 miles a day, becoming the first female duo to row from California to Hawaii. She drove over to the pink bungalow to be with Deb for the next update. [6] Two years later she became, along with Helen Taylor, one of the first two women to row across the Indian Ocean. I think that and possible hypothermia led to her demise. It was a clear,sereneearly evening over that desolate swath of the central Pacific when the C-17 made a low pass over Madsens position and identified her lifeless body floating in the water,still tethered to the boat. Long Beach's Angela Madsen, a three-time Paralympian and U.S. Marine veteran, has died while trying to become the first paraplegic, first openly gay athlete and oldest woman . Every time I talked to her, she was so delighted to be out in the middle of the ocean, which I never understood, Deb recalled. 12/11/2021 12:10 AM PT. It would be a major detour, but in keeping with one of the core tenets of the United Nations Law of the Seathe closest vessel must rescue those in distressthe Polynesias captain immediately changed course. The specially designed boat with her name and "ROWOFLIFE" painted on the hull, washed up on Mili Atoll in late October, 16 months after her body was found mid-way between California and Hawaii . The boat of U.S. ocean rower Angela Madsen has washed up in the Marshall Islands, 16 months after her fatal attempt to row alone from California to Hawaii.. What little strength she had left went toward taking care of Jennifer, who was beginning to display signs of bipolar disorder. . Angela Madsen, a three-time Paralympian and U.S. Marine veteran, died at sea two months ago halfway through her attempt to become the first openly gay athlete and oldest woman to row alone I believe when she tried to get back in the boat her tether was caught on something that did not allow enough slack for Angela to get back in the boat. The boat used by the late US Paralympian and ocean rower Angela Madsen has been found washed up on a remote Marshall Islands atoll 16 months after she drowned trying to cross the Pacific in it. Last night was amazing, Madsen posted on her tracker on May 27. Later, Deb would describe feeling a horrible dark weight in her chest. She was 60 years old. She also competed in shotput, winning a bronze medal in that sport at the 2012 Paralympicgames. Abandoned by her daughter and partner, and with too little money to pay for rent, food, and bills, Madsen moved onto the streets of Anaheim. H. J. Hayes . According to local historians, the areas first inhabitants, the Shawnee, believed it to be a place cursed with the devils winds. Then, in 2002, at age 42, she entered the World Rowing Championshipher first international rowing competitionand tooksilver. Any time you leave your boat, its a risky endeavor. At around 10:30 p.m. she texted Angela that their friend Soraya Simi, who is making a documentary about Angela, was calling the Coast Guard. I think that and possible hypothermia led to her demise. Angela became paralyzed after a botched back surgery in 1993, then took up rowing four years later, the outlet reported. Outside's long reads email newsletter features our strongest writing, most ambitious reporting, and award-winning storytelling about the outdoors. Angela Madsen, whose remarkable life took in a spell in the Marines, a string of gold medals and record setting rowing journeys, has died while attempting a solo journey from California to Hawaii. For the firstfew days, the wind looked like it would hold offshore. Madsen and teammate Helen Taylor were the first women to row across the Indian Ocean. On the dock, among the cheering crowd and sprays of champagne, and waiting with Madsens wheelchair, was Deb. A tomboy who loved to read National Geographic and often came home covered in leeches after playing in a nearby creek, Madsen had been a natural, talented volleyball and basketball player with dreams of one day making it to the Olympics. Debra said in an interview that when she warned that a cyclone was coming, Angela knew she had to fix the hardware, which would require tethering herself to the boat and getting in the water. The obituary was featured in Legacy on June 23, 2020. She was 60. [3], In 1980, at her first Marine Corps basketball training session, she fell on the court and another player stepped on her back, rupturing two discs in her spine. Incapable of suing the VA,thanks to a 1950 statute that barsmilitary service members from collecting damages from accidents such as hers, Madsen had to figure out a way to live on her paltry disability checks. Three-time Paralympian Angela Madsen died earlier this week while attempting a solo row from Los Angeles to Honolulu. She was definitely an inspiration to many and will be missed. Jennifer was also gone. Ms. Madsen in Long Beach, Calif., this year, testing the equipment on her boat. With one sister and five brothers, Angela . Marine veteran Angela Madsen, who won the bronze medal in shot put at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, has died while trying to row solo across the Pacific, her wife Debra announced on Facebook (The mens team couldnt finish and dropped out.) The three-person crew left the Hawaii Yacht Club Wednesday to search for the craft piloted by Angela Madsen, who died in the Pacific Ocean last month. Just after midnight, on June 21, she posted on her tracker, Tomorrow is swim day.. Recently weve gained some new insights into the mystery, although it is likely well never know for sure what exactly happened on that fateful day out on the Pacific. Then in 1992 she broke a leg and some ribs in a car accident. Everyone urged Deb and Simi to call the Coast Guard immediatelyThis is bad, they worried collectively, shes not going to make it. A Death at Sea on the 'Row of Life'. Madsen was determined to be the 18th. The Coast Guard dispatched a plane Monday to search and Angelas body was recovered near her boat, RowofLife, the report said. Paralympic medalist Angela Madsen has passed away during her solo row across the Pacific Ocean. It came undone some time ago. Gotta have some chocolate, she joked when we talked over the phone that morning. The ship reached Tahiti on Tuesday. The vertigo she felt when imagining the great mountains and valleys looming beneath her. Angela was nearing her furthest point from land and there was little marine traffic in the area should she run into trouble. But these were blissful reprieves. Four years later, she was back atthe Paralympics again, this time in Rio, throwing shot put and javelin. In a 2012 interview, Angela Madsen described how sports got her back on track after undergoing corrective back surgery that went wrong. She was 60 years old. I texted several times throughout the day, with no response. . Madsen was 60 years old. Thirty minutes away, in Marina del Rey, Simi took up phone duty with the Coast Guard, receiving updates on the search and rescue mission and relaying them to Deb. Ms. Madsen competing for the United States in the womens javelin throw at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images for Tokyo 2020. I am honoured to have met her. The first stroke came unconsciously. Angela has never had trouble getting back into the boat from the water. Her clothes and raingear and Wilson volleyball (complete with a Cast Away handprint) were in the closet-sizeaft cabin, where she would also sleep for short stretches. Simi, however, broke down. It would be another 30 years, in December of 1999, before the first woman, American Tori Murden McClure, completed a nearly 3,000-mile solo ocean row from the Canaries to the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. I received a phone call at about 10:40 from the Coast Guard advising that Angela had been located and was deceased. After landing in Honolulu on July 5, Deb stayed at the Imperial of Waikiki for six weeks, working to figure out how Madsen might still complete her journey. Of all the hell she had suffered, nothing rattled Madsen as much asthis, andright there in that station,she vowed to make a change. Driving north on the 405, they were almost alone. Three days later, on May 5, the bow shackle that held her para anchor came undone, leaving her no choice but to deploy the anchor from the stern, a less stable option, as it would force the Row of Life to cut through the waves backwards. ANGELA MADSEN, who has died aged 60, was a former US Marine who overcame extraordinary adversity to become a Paralympian shot put medallist and a world rowing champion; she died while rowing from Los Angeles to Hawaii. June 24 (UPI) --Angela Madsen, a paralympic medalist and a U.S. Marine veteran, died in her attempt to row across the Pacific Ocean. Then there was no sound. The plane saw Angela in the water, apparently deceased, tethered to RowofLife, but was unable to relay that information due to poor satellite coverage, Deb wrote on Facebook. I stopped being a victim and started taking responsibility to retrain, re-parent or reprogram myself, she told Trekity, an online travel newsletter for women. I know what it feels like to give up on dreams and goals. Birthdays werent a big deal to her, but since it would fall while she wasout in the ocean alone, in the midst of an attempt to become the oldest womanand first paraplegicto row the2,500miles between California and Hawaii solo, she figured, Why not celebrate? Madsen was 60 years old. On Tuesday morning, Angela's wife Debra confirmed the . She also set up a program for disabled rowers in California. Paralympic medalist Angela Madsen died trying to row by herself across the Pacific Ocean. She then set her sights higher: to row the oceans. She figured Madsen had tethered herself to the boat and jumped in the 72-degree water around 10:30 A.M., wearing boardshorts and a sports bra. Angela Madsen, a military veteran and three-time Paralympian, attempted to be the first paraplegic person to row solo across the Pacific. The concern was a possibility that Cyclone Boris was forming, and the forecast models included some that could be problematic for Angela. If you journey to the center of the Earth, Take a Virtual Tour of the Worlds Most Mysterious Seed Vault, Its About Time: ESA Agrees to Agree on Lunar Timekeeping, Two Orcas Kill 17 Sharks in One Day, Eat Only Their Livers, Photographer Snags Image of Rare Tasmanian Spotted Handfish, This Map Will Show You How Much Wild Space is Left on the Planet, Black Hole The Size of 20 Million Suns Speeding Through Space, Orca Cares For Pilot Whale Calf in Never Before Seen Behavior, Everest Prep Begins, Icefall Doctors on Their Way. She joined the Marines after her brothers told her she wouldnt make it in the military. She went on to row across the Indian and Atlantic Oceans and also circumnavigated Great Britain in her boat. "We are . For Angela Madsen, it was a fortuitous time to row into the isolation of the Pacific Ocean. [4], While a competitive rower, Madsen was also enjoying ocean-rowing events, and from her home in California she had access to the Pacific. Paralympic medalist Angela Madsen died at sea during her second attempt at crossing the Pacific Ocean - as she aimed at becoming the oldest woman and first openly gay athlete to do so at the age of 60. . She finished fifth in the javelin, but a throw of 8.88 metres was enough to win her a bronze medal in the shot put. She was 60. Over 17,000 cases and climbing. Born on May 10, 1960, the Rower Angela Madsen was arguably the world's most influential social media star. To do it, shed have to get in the water. But mostly, she loved being out on the wide blue expanse. Join Outside+ to get Outside magazine, access to exclusive content, 1,000s of training plans, and more. The white of the Row of Lifes navigation light bled a fragmented trail across the wateruntil it disintegrated in the new-moon darkness. For over a year, she and her film crew had shadowed Madsen as she prepared for the row. The favorable currents at 125 degreeswest were out of the question. Such cases have drawn intense debate over the years. Madsen, 60, was declared dead at 11 p.m. PST on Monday, June 22, when the US . [3] This in turn led Madsen to undergo surgery to her back, but a string of errors resulted in her having an L1 incomplete spinal cord injury and paraplegia. She fell in love with the way Madsen refused to accept his disability, or her own, or anyones, as some kind of executioner of dreams. I spoke with Angela several times on Saturday by text and phone. Only a few hundred people have experienced such things. Its hopeless, its majestic, its exhilarating, she said. Oct 22, 2020. We've received your submission. The way the flash of a wahoo, a flying fish, or the crystalline spine of a Portuguese man-of-war reminded her she wasnt truly alone. The procedure left her permanently unable to walk. Paralympian Angela Madsen has died at the age of 60, according to her wife and friend, on June 22. If that was the case, she thought it would be important to deploy the para-anchor off the bow. "I am in shock as my son, whom I just spoke with a few days ago . A spokeswoman for the Department of the Medical Examiner in Honolulu said: "I can confirm Hudson Lee Madsen, 26, died by a gunshot wound to the head in a suspected suicide on the island of Oahu." According to his Facebook profile, Hudson lived in Wahiawa, Hawaii, with his wife Carlie. [14], She held six Guinness World Records and was working toward another (as the oldest woman and first paraplegic to row across the Pacific alone) at the time of her death. Instead of anger over everything that had happened to me in the last couple of years, she continued, I should have been more appreciative of the life I had left., She returned to Long Beach and signed up for the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, where she went on to win five gold medals, in swimming, wheelchair slalom, and billiards. All Angela needs to hear is that people dont think she can make it, and its like a volcano goes off inside her. She trained, raced, coached and surfed, as a 2015 documentary on her achievements makes clear. Jean Faut (19252023), AAGPBL pitcher with two perfect Bob Richards (19262023), first athlete featured on Wheaties Greg Foster (19582023), world champion hurdler, Jerry Richardson (19362023), Carolina Panthers founder, Wayne Shorter (19332023), jazz saxophonist who co-founded Weather Report, Irma Serrano (19332023), Mexicos La Tigresa singer and actress, Jean Faut (19252023), AAGPBL pitcher with two perfect games, Bob Richards (19262023), first athlete featured on Wheaties boxes, Greta Andersen (19272023), Olympic swimming champion. At the same time, JRCC Honolulu began hunting downa plane that could make the round-trip flight to such a remote location. "When I looked at the tracking, it did not appear that she was rowing the boat, but . Her commanding officer, however, disagreed. Because of her paraplegia, she had little to no sensation in the lower half of her body. Madsen, 60, was declared dead at 11 p.m. PST on Monday, June 22, when the U.S . Jun 29, 2020. We decided that she needed to prepare for the worst, since she might have to ride out a cyclone. I watched the speed and trajectory of the boat, and it seemed as if it was floating rather than being rowed; but if she went for the swim, she might have been tired and not rowing. She knew the risks better than any of us and was willing to take those risks because being at sea made her happier than anything else. It left her with a mild brain injury but led her to realize that she had more to be grateful for than sorry about, and she resolved to shape her own destiny. The military would not pay for her medical bills and for a while she was homeless. She enlisted in the Marines in 1979 and was stationed in El Toro, Calif., as a military police officer. [4] She became active in the sport and began rebuilding her life. On May 8, panicked messages to Madsen, Deb, and Soraya Simi, a 24-year-old filmmaker documenting Madsens journey, started coming in from other rowers who were following Madsens tracking web page. However, she injured her back while playing for the Marines basketball team and errors in the subsequent surgery left her in a wheelchair. When she awoke around 8 P.M., Madsen donneda pair of dark shorts and a campaign T-shirt for congressmanAdam Schiff that read, Right Matters, Truth Matters, Decency Matters. She pulled her U.S. Marine Corpsball cap over her freshly shaved headand used her powerful arms to move her large, six-foot-one-inchframe into her wheelchair. She joined the bases womens basketball team and was quickly recruited by the womens allMarine Corps squad. I checked the main text inbox and found that she hadnt communicated with anyone since Saturday night. View their obituary at Legacy.com After Reservoir Dogs, Madsen became hot property. 3 min read. Ive never lost someone thats close to me in such a tragic way, she told me. Michael is also dad to sons Calvin, 25, and Luke, 16, whom he shares with his wife, "The . While her theory of hypothermia is not likely the water was 22C, which even skinny people can manage for several hours the many . I contacted [documentary filmmaker] Soraya Simi Sunday afternoon, and we decided to call the Coast Guard for guidance. Ive been using the stern.. Only thing I can do is run with them, she posted of the wind and waves on May 2, on the public GPS-tracking web page she had set up for the row. Through an intermediary at the Coast Guard, Deb asked the Polynesias captain to retrieve as much from the rowboat as possible, but his crew was only able to grab Madsens passport before aborting the recovery. During practice one day, she fell forward and someone stepped on her back. Would she remember to eat the right food after a long row? Over the course of his career, he has contributed to numerous online and print outlets, including Popular Mechanics, Gear Junkie, Outside Online, National Geographic, Digital Trends, Business Insider, TripSavvy, about.com, and of course The Adventure Blog. Ocean rowing gave her the chance to compete against people without disabilities, and she relished the challenge and the freedom from the mundane aspects of daily life. The problem was that Madsen was currently located in one of the loneliest stretches of ocean on earth, almost exactly halfway between Long Beach and Oahu, just south of the Tropic of Cancer. After work hours guitarist, DJ, record label owner and New York style pizza aficionado. Kraig is an outdoor and adventure travel writer based in Nashville, TN. All the clutter was Madsens way of slyly showing off her accomplishments to guests without having to openly boast. Ms. Madsen had hoped to be the first rower with paraplegia, the first openly gay athlete and the oldest woman to row the Pacific solo. She and Deb hitched the Row of Life to their minivan and turned onto Redondo Avenue. [3] At El Toro, she joined the women's basketball team, at center, and when the team competed at the Marine Corps West Coast Regional Basketball Tournament, Madsen was scouted by the women's Marine Corps team. [4], The Marine Corps refused to pay Madsen's medical bills following the accident, and Madsen lost her home while her marriage fell apart. The record-breaking Paralympian, LGBT+ activist and Marine veteran Angela Madsen has tragically died while attempting a solo rowing journey across the Pacific. The last pages of Madsens memoir now read like final instructions: I know what it is to suffer. In 2009, she and Helen Taylor became the first women to row across the Indian Ocean. At the time of her death, she was 60 years old. Angela Madsen -- beloved athlete, LGBTQ+ activist, former Marine, and three-time Paralympian -- has died while attempting a solo rowing journey from California to Hawaii . Madsen was born in the United States in 1960. . This past weekend, Debra Madsen posted an update to Angela's Facebook page, sharing some information with her fans for the first time. What happened after is a mystery, as there was no further communication from Angela. . She conquered the Atlantic (twice) and the Indian Ocean and circumnavigated Britain, all with rowing partners or a team. Her most recent Emmy award came for her portrayal of Angela Abar in HBO's Watchmen. She lives in Long Beach, California, and is the . Angela had said she was going to enter the water to complete some maintenance. 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(Soraya Simi) HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - A transpacific journey has . She also could no longerperform her regular duties as an MP. At 59 years old and with a preexisting condition, Paralympic rower Angela Madsen had plenty to worry about as the coronavirus spread across the country. Madsen was about halfway through a solo rowing trip from Los Angeles to Hawaii when . She got involved with the Veterans Wheelchair Games, and in 1995 won three gold medals: in swimming, the wheelchair slalom course and billiards. Madsen . When Deb checked the tracking of her boat, it appeared to be drifting instead of being powered by an oar, according to the report. Essentially, Debra and Angela has been in communication via satellite phone with both getting a bit nervous about an impending cyclone that could hit the area that the rower was . When she applied to Ohio State, expecting to receive a volleyball scholarship, she was turned down because, she wrote in her 2014 memoir, Rowing Against the Wind, They mistakenly believed that I would not be able to keep up with the practice schedule, be a full-time student, and be a single parent.. [1] Educated at Fairborn Baker High School in Fairborn, Ohio, she became a single parent at the age of seventeen, which impeded her chance for an athletics scholarship. At the time of her death she survived by her large extended friends and family. January 30, 2023. Her wife, Debra, confirmed the news in a Facebook post . Long Beach's Angela Madsen, a three-time Paralympian and U.S. Marine veteran, has died while trying to become the first paraplegic, first openly gay athlete and oldest woman to row across the . With no money for rent, she was evicted. Died: Monday, June 22, 2020 (Who else died on June 22?) The two women thought it best that Angela deploy her sea anchora nautical parachute of sorts designed to hold her in placeand prepare to ride out the storm. It took nearly two days to pass Catalina Island, just 40 miles southwest of Marina del Ray. They said they would work on finding a ship to divert to rescue her. My grandma was always there for her grandkids, Amanda, who is 25, told me. Theres little glamour in such an obscure passion. But the first solo attempt didnt happenuntil 1969, when a Brit named John Fairfax rowed for 180 days between the Canary Islands, off the coast of Morocco, and Hollywood Beach, Florida. This is the single heaviest moment of my life, Simi said in a statement to the Southern California News Group. The plan was for her to get into the water on Sunday morning, June 21 to do just that. She could tell from tracking data that the boat was not being rowed. Long Beach's Angela Madsen, a three-time Paralympian and U.S. Marine veteran, has died while trying to become the first paraplegic, first openly gay athlete and oldest woman to row across the .