i said it's a mom thing. >> the next inductee, tatiana mcfadden, class of 2008. >> reporter: at her homeown, taddian ah was just inducted into the sports hall of fame. getting the honor was not an easy thing. tatiana was denied a spot on the school's track team. the legal battle led to a new federal law. it guarantees disabled students right to join high school sports teams. >> in the 21st century how can you deny people and say you have your own program? >> when tatiana won three gold medals in the 2012 summer gold medals in london, she decided to make her trip back to sochi, to visit the orphanage that was her first home. >> i remember some of the things that are similar when i walked in. everything was so much smaller, because i was walking on my hands and knees, but now it looked small. >> if you were to get up on the platform to accept another medal what would it say to the people of russia? >> i think i would be balling butter it would show how strong and independent and how determined of a person that i am, and that nothing can stand in my way. >> reporter: and medal or not she co

tatiana crawling on the floor with a bow in her fair. there was something about her. she had bright eyes. >> deborah mcfadden was the commissioner of disabilities for the u.s. department of health and human services. in 1994, she was on a tour of russian orphanages, as part of a humanitarian mission, and captivated by tatiana. >> yes, this is my camera, this is the suite. she was say, "da, da, da", and picked up the camera and played with the buttons. >> did you know that you were ? >> no, i went back to the hotel room and couldn't get her off my mind. tatiana told everyone, "that's my mum." she probably said it to everyone, but they told me she never said it. >> can you imagine what your life would be like if she never stopped in there. >> i don't think i would have lived this long. for the first eight years of my life i didn't go to the doctors or have medical treatment for the first six years of my life. >> watching her compete, it's hard to imagine when tatiana came to the u.s., she was so sick doctors feared the sick little girl wouldn't make it. >> i'm thinking, "i have to keep her alive." i thought i'