Paralympian Baroness Masham, 87, who won Great Britain’s first medal at the Paralympic Games, has died peacefully.
The death at age 87 was peaceful for BARONESS Masham, a Paralympian and the longest-serving female member of the House of Lords in history.
Lady Masha, whose birth name was Susan Sinclair, became a life peer in 1970 after winning swimming and table tennis medals at the 1960, 1964, and 1968 Paralympic Games.
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The beloved Paralympian devoted much of her career to advocating for people with disabilities.
She served longer than any other female peer in history, 53 years total, and did so as a crossbencher in the House of Lords.
The Spinal Injuries Association, an organization she established in 1974, expressed its “devastation” at her passing.
On Sunday, she passed away peacefully at a hospital in Northallerton, Yorkshire.
After sustaining spinal cord injuries in a horseback riding accident in 1958, Lady Masham began using a wheelchair.
Two years later, in 1968, she won another gold medal at the Paralympics in Tokyo by finishing first in the women’s doubles table tennis event.
Over the course of her three Olympic appearances, she won a total of nine medals, including six silvers and two bronzes in both sports.
She was featured on an episode of This Is Your Life back in 1976.
She founded the Spinal Injuries Association and led it as its president until her death in an effort to improve the quality of life for people who had recently sustained a spinal cord injury.
Thousands of people with spinal cord injuries have been helped thanks in large part to Lady Masham, the association said.
Baroness Sue Masham of Ilton, our founder and president for life, passed away peacefully at Northallerton Hospital on March 12, the organization said in a statement.
Everyone at the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) is obviously heartbroken over the loss of our greatest champion.
Our hearts go out to her family during this difficult time.
Baroness Masham was “one of Great Britain’s first ever Paralympic medallists” and a “pioneering athlete,” according to the Paralympics GB website.
