Texas Scottish Rite Hospital's annual amputee ski trip heads to Winter Park
Souce: Dallas News
09:50 PM CST on Monday, January 26, 2009
By ELIZABETH LANGTON / The Dallas Morning News
Fourteen patients of Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children departed Monday for Colorado on the hospital's 28th annual amputee ski trip.
The group will spend a week at the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park. The teenagers, who each use at least one prosthetic limb, will learn to ski and snowboard using specialized equipment.
The trip teaches the teens about overcoming physical barriers, hospital officials say, but it also fosters camaraderie with other kids facing the same challenges.
The hospital, assisted by donors including American Airlines, covers all expenses for the trip. The year's participants are David Barcenas, 18, of Ennis; Tayler Bates, 17, of Houston; Jessica Constancio, 16 of Austin; Candace Darden, 15 of Garland; Alexander "Sasha" Djamoos, 17, of Fairview; Jordyn Downey, 17, of Bedford; Brandon Harp, 16, of Hawley; Eric Hmielewski, 15, of Little Elm; Kiara Marshall, 16, of Georgetown; Kathryn McCravey, 17, of Glen Rose; Andrea Meza, 17, of Stephenville; Justin Montemayor, 18, of Richardson; Tamlynn Niemietz, 16, of San Antonio; and William "Skeeter" Phillips, 15, of Forney.