To Ski Or Not To Ski

We got a call last night from the Double H Ranch, "Would Keely like to ski tomorrow?" It only took me one second to say YES!

If you had told me 9 years ago my daughter would be skiing I would have told you you were crazy, but here we are all these years later and she is starting her second season zipping down the slopes.

My daughter, or "the Beauty" as I like to call her, has cerebral palsy. She also is non-verbal, microcephalic, and has Reynaud's Phenomenon. She also has periodic seizures. We had a birth event when she was born. The hardest thing I ever had to do was walk out of the hospital without my baby. It was seven days before we could bring her home.  I did not let anyone hold her or put her down that entire first day home.

In her nine and a half years here she has taught me firstly, I can not plan every moment of my life.  Our lives are one large game of wait and see. She has taught me the joy of small things.  Most importantly, she has taught me that miracles DO happen.  According to the professionals and specialists we have seen, the Beauty should have never opened her eyes. I myself have never seen her brain MRI but I know my girl is truly an angel here on earth. She brings light and laughter to everyone she encounters.

Today she swims, bowls, and plays soccer.  She loves Angry Birds and Bad Piggies, uses an iPad with a speech app to give herself a voice...and she SKIS! The look of pure joy as she comes down the mountain is one that I wish I could bottle and sell, I would be a millionaire! 

We are very fortunate to live near Lake Luzerne, NY.  It is the home to the Double H Ranch, part of the Serious Fun Camps network founded by Paul Newman.  They have a summer program that Keely attended for the first time in 2012 and an adaptive winter sports program of which this is our second year participating. All of these services are offered at no cost to the parents of the attendees.

So today my Beauty skied, she will have at least 5 more sessions this winter.  Tomorrow...who knows? I guess we will just have to wait and see.