A Texas amputee ski team left for Winter Park, Colorado on Monday for a week on the slopes.
Dr. Tony Herring started the trip after working with amputee children for many years at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital. This year marks the 35th group to make the trip from Texas to Colorado.
Herring said it is wonderful to see the teens master a skill like skiing, something they never dreamed they would even be able to try.
However, this trip is also about the common bond between strangers.
"So many of them have never known another child with another amputation," said Dr. Herring. "They may have never been out in public with their prosthesis off. And then they find themselves hopping off to the hot tub with no legs on. All these other kids there … it just changes the way they feel about themselves."
Patience Beard is on her fourth trip with the Amputee Ski Team.
"I was terrified. One, I’ve never been skiing before and didn’t believe that I could do it," said Beard.
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For the 35th annual trip, Beard will act as more of a mentor to the teens who haven’t been on the trip before now.
"There’s just something about meeting people who are just like you," said Beard. "You just instantly connect. And you have things you can’t talk about with friends back home."
The group will ski all week and return to D/FW Airport on Saturday.
