A group of Spanish youngsters who are suffering from cancer have been taken to Formigal ski resort in Spain to help them relax this weekend. Meanwhile, over in the US, more than 400 disabled veterans, including nearly 70 recently injured in Iraq, are skiing in the Rocky Mountains....Some 50 young people, aged between 9 and 13, from Oncology Units across Spain, will have skiing lessons with national ski school instructors. They will also get to meet huskie sleigh dogs and see the whole resort on the back of snowmobiles driven by trained experts. The holiday is part of the 'One cap, one hope' scheme funded by the Aramón charity organisation.
Source:
http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/14704/one-cap-one-hope-ski-therapy-for-young-cancer-patients
The 22nd National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, which starts tomorrow at Snowmass Village, Colorado, is the largest event of its kind. The Clinic is an annual rehabilitation program open to US military veterans with traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, orthopaedic amputations, visual impairments, certain neurological problems and other disabilities.
Army veteran Shane Parsons (aged 22), who lost both his legs and suffered a head injury in 2006 in a roadside bomb attack in Iraq, is a good example of how helpful the clinic can be. He said, "It was absolutely awesome. This event helps us (newly injured veterans) get into the mentality of saying 'hey I can do this, and if I can do this, I can do other things for myself, too.'"
Source:
http://sev.prnewswire.com/sports/20080328/DC1789928032008-1.html
More info:
http://www1.va.gov/vetevent/wsc/2008/default.cfm