Since this blog was published in January 2026, Max was named to the U.S. Paralympic Team for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games! He is among 12 athletes chosen by U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing to represent Team USA at the games in March. Read the full announcement here.
Max Nelson likes to live life at full speed. The 21-year-old, who is visually impaired, is a member of the U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing development team. After representing Team USA at the 2022 Winter Paralympics, his goal is to ski for his country on the world stage again. But earlier this year, everything changed. Max started feeling lightheaded and had headaches that wouldn’t go away. He thought it was just because of a sinus infection. But a CT scan in March revealed something much more serious — a brain tumor the size of a tennis ball.
“That was probably the most challenging news I ever received,” Max said.
Max’s determination through brain surgery
Max was admitted to Children’s Minnesota where the neuro-oncology team moved quickly on a care plan. The team included Kyle Halvorson, MD, pediatric neurosurgeon, and Russell Wolters, MD, pediatric oncologist. Max showed his determination with his first question for Dr. Halvorson, “How long until I’m back skiing?”
At that point, no one could say when Max could return to the sport he loves. The diagnosis was complex. Brain surgery to remove this type of tumor isn’t always an option. However, in Max’s case, it was.
“Before the surgery, when I asked about the complexity of the surgery, Dr. Halvorson said on a scale of one to 10, this was an 8,” said Sharon, Max’s mom. “When he saw the concern on Max’s face, he said, ‘Well, we live at 8.’”
After Max recovered from surgery, his family had a special shirt made for Dr. Halvorson to show their gratitude. The shirt read “I live at 8” and included a picture of a skier on it.
Road to recovery
Max’s recovery after surgery was not easy. He spent weeks unable to speak and move parts of his body. But Max never gave up. With the help of rehabilitative specialists at Children’s Minnesota and Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, he regained the ability to talk, walk and eventually run. In addition to rehab, he went through six weeks of radiation treatment.
Remarkably, not even two months after brain surgery to remove the tumor, Max was able to go home. That same day, he was back in the gym working out with his dad, Jon. By June, he was back on his skis!
“After relearning to talk and walk, I set my sights on getting back to Nordic skiing. I knew it would help me feel like myself again,” Max said.
Return to racing
As he regained more strength and balance, Max started working hard to return to racing. He trained six days a week, only taking Mondays off. Even as his training picked up, Max’s medical journey continued. He enrolled in a clinical trial to try and keep the cancer away.
In November and December, Max reached another goal — competing in his first races since surgery, including a Nordic Skiing World Cup in Canada. He will race in Germany in January. The ultimate goal is to make the 2026 Paralympic Nordic Skiing team and join Team USA in Italy.
Max finds strength in his faith, pointing to the Bible verse, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ He also credits the support of his family, friends, coaches and whole medical team.
“I can’t even say thank you enough to everyone he encountered on this journey,” Sharon said.
Looking back on everything he’s been through, Max said, “My family did such a good job, making me smile and laugh. I probably have one of the best families in the whole world.”
