Shrine Hospital News

Earlier this year, patients from Shriners Hospital joined the tourists and locals at Snowbird Ski Resort for an innovative winter recreation camp for amputees. The Un-Limb-ited Ski and Snowboard Camp brought ten teens from Utah and Colorado together with expert instructors and peer-level counselors for four days of skill building, goal setting, teamwork, and social activities. When the powder finally settled, each camper had gained a greater understanding of skiing, snowboarding, and themselves.

Un-Limb-ited

The Un-Limb-ited group was formed seven years ago by physical therapist Matt Lowell and child life specialist Carolyn Bergquist. Lowell had noticed that his prosthetic patients weren’t trying new activities.

"These kids could walk on a level surface, but they seemed too intimidated to try soccer or dance. We wanted to give them a forum to participate in activities with all the other kids," Lowell says.

The group was originally conceived as an outpatient socialization and support group for young amputees and their siblings. Toddlers and teenagers alike, along with their families, came together at the hospital to compare notes and share experiences.

"These kinds of fun, informal interactions with other children can be very therapeutic," observes Bergquist.

From meetings at the hospital, the group expanded to provide more comprehensive recreational outings. Un-Limb-ited group members have since tried ice skating, water skiing, swimming, rock wall climbing, horseback riding, and other fun yet challenging activities with much success. Recreation therapists and prosthetists from the hospital joined the group staff, lending a wealth of interdisciplinary experience and peer-level support.

After a successful day trip to a local ski resort, the idea for a multi-day camp was hatched. Bergquist and Lowell found planning and staffing quarterly activities time-consuming yet rewarding parts of their jobs. But organizing a four-day, overnight winter recreation camp proved to be a bigger challenge than either imagined.

Invitations were sent to all of the hospital’s teenage prosthetic patients in Utah, Idaho, and Colorado. Ten young adults responded, paid a nominal deposit, and made plans to attend. While the cost of running the camp would be substantial, Un-Limb-ited staff wanted to make it affordable for the patients. With the exception of the campers’ deposit, in-kind donations from Snowbird and generous contributions from the El Kalah Shriners, a group of NFL officials, and the Art with Heart fundraiser in Salt Lake City covered all associated costs.

The camp was truly a team effort. Additional staff from Shriners nursing, therapy, and prosthetics departments volunteered at the camp and served as counselors. Monte Myers, a member of the U.S. Paralympic ski team, and Muffy Davis, a former Paralympian, both attended the camp and shared tips and lessons with the teens. Expert instructors from Wasatch Adaptive Sports made sure each camper had the best equipment possible and provided one-on-one instruction. Past and present Shriners prosthetists—themselves amputees—gave campers someone to relate and talk to.

"It was important to have peer-level amputees at the camp," says Lowell. "It let our kids see what people can accomplish with hard work, and gave them something to plan for in the future."

Outcomes

Simply put, the camp was a hit. The teens enjoyed the greater sense of independence that came from getting away from their parents and hanging out with their peers—just what organizers had hoped for. For many campers it was their first extended time away from home. Fourteen year-old Julian Pratt of South Jordan, Utah, had been skiing only once before. A bilateral above-elbow amputee, he took immediately to the snowboard.

"It was hard because I’d never done it before," he says. "But then it got easier. The counselors helped me with my balance and pretty soon I was getting up and down the mountain."

Pratt enjoyed his newfound freedom, even if it lasted for just a few days.

"The camp was fun. My parents weren’t around to tell me what to do. I’d definitely go again," he says with a gleam in his eye.

Tylan Quigley of Kaysville, Utah enjoyed the open spaces of the mountain resort as well. One of seventeen children, Ty—a bilateral below-knee amputee—enjoyed having his own space and a hotel bed.

"It was so cool," he says. "I slept really good."

Like Julian, Ty spent a lot of time on the snowboard as well. Instructors fit him with adaptive, oversized boots, which he wore backwards as he made test runs down the hill. Soon he was carving tight turns and completing run after run.

"It was so fun!" gushes Ty.

When they weren’t checking out new gear or taking lessons, campers were sitting down for group meals and evening discussions. Camp counselors engaged the teens in dialogue about common issues faced by young amputees, such as peer pressure, ridicule, unsolicited questions or stares, and hopes for the future.

"Not everyone talked," says Lowell. "But they were all listening."

Several Salt Lake City media outlets showed up to cover the camp.

"So many times we notice that these kids have a perceived disability, that they can’t do something because they’re missing an arm or a foot," Lowell told one reporter. "This has been a great opportunity for them to realize that they can do it. They’re just going to do it differently."

After four days, the camp wrapped up with a slide show and family ski day.

Ty’s father, James Quigley, noted several positive changes when he picked his son up after camp.

"It gave him a lot of confidence, and he seemed to have made a lot of new friends," Quigley observes. "Making friends with other teens that had common conditions really made him feel part of the group. The camp gave him some one-on-one attention, which is often hard to come by."

Plans for the Future

With most of the planning and organizing out of the way, Lowell hopes the Un-Limb-ited Ski and Snowboard camp will become an annual event. For more information go to www.unlimbitedcamp.org or call (801) 536-3668.