"I now use every opportunity that I have to live my life to the fullest" - Lindsey Vonn reveals how losing her mother to ALS was an eye-opener

Lindsey Vonn lost her mother to ALS in August 2022, a year after her diagnosis. The moment she realized that her mother was not present, the athlete said she got hit with the fact that precious things slip away too one day.

The alpine skiing legend is the third-most decorated such athlete in history. She retired from her sport with 82 World Cup wins and earned 43 downhill gold podiums in the World Cup circuit across her career. Having retired in 2019, the 39-year-old is still associated with sports, making occasional appearances in tennis, F1 and football.

Vonn started to ski at a young age in Burnsville, Minnesota under the tutelage of her grandfather. Her mother, Linda Krohn Lund, used to take her on a 16-hour drive to Vail, Colorado so that her daughter would get better slope exposure. In 2022, when that pillar of strength left her side after a battle with ALS, Vonn realized how living life to the fullest is important for letting regrets pass.

She shared her thoughts in an interview with Elle magazine, saying,

"It’s only when you see how quickly things slip away that you realize anything can happen at any moment. I now use every opportunity that I have to live my life to the fullest. I never waste a second. I keep perspective of how lucky I am."

ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurological disease. It ruptures the motor neurons which ultimately causes death. Linda Krohn survived for a year after her diagnosis.

Vonn also shared that her mother left the world on short notice. The impact was so much that the Olympian couldn't let go of the grief, reading her mother's motivational texts now and then.

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"I think she’s there with me" - Lindsey Vonn on how she connects with her mother two years after her death

Vonn didn't realize that her mother's diagnosis of ALS was a death sentence. She didn't come to terms with the truth until she passed away.

2022 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Hall Of Fame Ceremony - Getty Images

Grieving the loss, Lindsey Vonn recalled the time when her mother asked her to talk to her the same way Linda used to talk to her own mother, whom she lost at 16.

In her interview with Elle, Lindsey Vonn said,

"My mom lost her own mother when she was 16, and she always used to say, “I talk to her, and when I’m gone, I want you to talk to me as if I’m still here.” So I do. Sometimes I’ll sit outside and talk to her. I think she’s there with me, and that helps."

Having seen her mother suffer from the disease up close, Vonn has become a motivational figure for the people going through the same.