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PARK CITY -- Fourteen teenage amputees from across the country are in Park City this week, soaring beyond their disabilities. KSL caught up with them on the slopes Wednesday as they sharpened their skills on adaptive skis and snowboards and bonded with new friends.
"It just feels like flying," says 17-year-old Abram Gornik of Hawaii. He lost his right foot to bone cancer a year ago, but makes snowboarding look easy after only three days on the slopes.
At the Shriners Hospitals for Children Un-Limb-ited Camp, amputees from eight states learn to streak across the snow on gear adapted to their needs.
"It's kind of hard, but once you get used to it, it's easy," says Charlie Bell of Sandy.
She says they also learn more about themselves.
"It makes you more comfortable with who you are," she said.
Charlie and Mickey Cunningham of Draper are fast friends, on and off the snow. They met last year at Un-Limb-ited Camp and are inseparable on the mountain.
"We all learn to gain more self-confidence and just show who you are, and not be embarrassed by your disability," Mickey says.
The teenagers say one of the most important aspects of the camp is the kind of inspiration they get from each other.
For many of the children, it is not only their first time playing on the snow, it's also their first chance to meet other teenage amputees. Although each of them has their own personal story of an accident, infection or congenital defect, they all share a common bond as amputees.
Throughout the week-long camp, each camper gets daily skiing or boarding lessons from professional instructors. Nurses, prosthetists, physical therapists, occupational therapists and recreation therapists from Shriners Hospitals for Children staff the camp as counselors.
Shriners Hospitals for Children provides expert orthopaedic care to more than 5,000 children every year.
"It seems really difficult when you're alone in it," says Gornik. "Seeing the other people go through the exact same thing and coming out of it is inspiring."
"They're young and they're strong, and I think there's a lot of bonding that happens when they come here and they really support each other," says camp director Matt Lowell.
Together, they're creating new stories of perseverance, success and new goals.
"We don't believe in limits," says Lowell. "Everybody is going to do what they're going to do. It's just, how are we going to do it."
Doing it with courage and companionship.
"The camp... it's all about the friendships you come away with," says Gornik.
E-mail: jboal@ksl.com
