Camp No Limits

Last weekend we had a great night away in the Winter Park area at YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch! Some dear friends and family helped us get to Camp No Limits this year, a camp for children with limb loss and their families. What a blessing it was!

One of the most exciting things for our kids was staying in a yurt. We skipped the lodge at the Y and booked a yurt room instead. We'd do it again - it was a blast! It was a bit like "upgraded camping" as the yurt is like a tent, but inside there were a queen bed, two bunk beds, a microwave and small fridge. Super nice! The kids loved the adventure.

The first night of Camp No Limits we met our group - there were about 30 or so that attended the first ever Colorado camp. It was a great group of kids and parents! There weren't any kids exactly like D, but children with other limb differences - no hands, missing one hand or arm, missing a leg, etc. It was a great blessing to be among them. Many of the kids were in their early teens, so we were able to learn a lot from them! Night one included dinner and a bonfire with smores (a big hit). The Y staff also sang campfire songs and told stories, which was hilarious. Wow, they have some good staff up there! The second day, when we weren't eating (doesn't it seem like you are always eating when at camp!?) we spent time with the group and also learned from some experts. Bob from TRS was there and spoke a bit about prosthetics and all the options that are out there (yes, they have prosthetics for playing basketball, hockey, baseball, swimming, and more!). We enjoyed meeting Bob as he's the one that designed D's current hand on his arm. We also loved connecting with the bike people at Angletech Cycles. They make adaptive bikes for children and adults - their goal is to give everyone the ability to ride a bike! Of course, as J is a biker, this was very interesting to him! We've been talking for a year now about how to get D his own bike. He'll need a hand bike, and will either use it one handed or get a prosthesis that will work with the bike so he can hand crank with both arms. Super exciting! One day he'll have his own bike, and we're thankful Camp No Limits gave us some ideas by bringing in Angletech! There was also a time for parents to share and ask questions of each other over the weekend, and, of course, some family-time activities - swimming, putt-putt golfing, and roller skating. All our kids, including D, loved roller skating. J picked it up like he was roller blading back in high school, so I'm thinking we'll make the effort to go again.

All in all it was a great weekend and we're so thankful we could attend! What a blessing to connect with others that have children with limb loss. We hope to go back one day when D is a bit older and can get even more out of it - get some of his own questions answered and meet kids that are "like him." It was humbling to see our older kids in that environment as well. They loved on the children at camp, paying no attention at all to their "differences." The kids asked questions, played with children of all ages, and genuinely had a great time. As I've said before, its our ongoing goal to make limb differences more "normal."

Thanks to those of you that helped us get there! See ya again sometime, Camp No Limits!