A Breath of Fresh Air At Massanutten
By Liza Bruce  
     In February of 1999, I went on a trip to Massanutten for a skiing adventure that was supposed to be a fun outing. Little did I know that a day on the slopes would change my life.
 
     I lost my sight three years ago. I am almost 35 and I became a diabetic when I was 17. In 1996 I began to suffer serious complications from the diabetes. I had kidney failure and began to lose my sight. In March of 1997 I was very fortunate to have a second change at life because of a very kind and generous man from Kentucky who died in a tragic accident. He was an organ donor and thanks to him, not only do I have a wonderful healthy kidney, I no longer have diabetes because of his pancreas. Unfortunately my blindness is total and permanent, but the longer I am blind, the more I get used to it and the less scary it gets.
 
     After I became blind, I attended the Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Richmond, VA. There I learned skills and techniques for dealing with blindness. I learned everything from reading and writing Braille, to walking with a cane, to labeling my clothes by color, to using adaptive computers. At the center I also learned the value and importance of recreation. As a sighted person, I never enjoyed the outdoors or sports of any kind. I did not even enjoy being outside very much at all. So it was with some reluctance that I signed up to go on a field trip for snow skiing at Massanutten. Samantha Jones, the recreation teacher at the center, was very enthusiastic and a lot of fun, and I felt comfortable going with her. This would be my first overnight trip since the transplant and since losing my sight and it was a big deal in many ways.
 
     A group of ten of us left Richmond on Sunday afternoon. We arrived to the lodge in the late afternoon and unpacked and got settled. We met Mark Andrews and he helped us get situated and he introduced us to the college students who were there as our guides for our day on the slopes. We ordered pizza and laughed, and told jokes and ate pizza. Many of us stayed up late talking, but we all eventually bedded down in our bunks for a good night's sleep.
 
     The next morning we woke up and took turns eating a big breakfast and getting ready. After layering up and packing up, we were on our way to the slopes. The walk down the steps to the ski lodge was probably the most dangerous part of our trip because of the ice and snow, but we all did fine. I had never been snow skiing before, so I was nervous and excited about this new adventure. We rented our equipment and with a lot of help from Mark and our guides, we got into our ski equipment and headed out.
 
     Relying heavily on our guides, we walked to a teaching area with a slight Bunny Trail and started out like the little kids do. We learned one ski at a time and slowly got comfortable with what snow skiing would be like. Surprisingly it was not too long before we were on our way to the ski life for a trip up the mountain.
 
     Probably the biggest challenge of our trip to Massanutten was trying to master the ski lift. Trying to hop off the lift and not being able to see where you were going or to judge how far it was to the ground made for some pretty tricky exits. Mark was my guide and if it had not been for him, I would have bitten the snow each and every time I got off the lift. We trekked across a mountain cross trail to our slope. Once again Mark saved me and pushed me across most of the uphill trail. At the time, I was very weak as I had not been involved in anything physical since the transplant. At the top of our slope we began in baby steps. With the tethered straps around my skis, I soon realized that I was very safe. For a long time Mark stayed very close behind me to keep control over my movements. Many times he kept me from falling and for that I was most grateful. Eventually, I picked up a little speed and gained some confidence. Mark would give me more and more slack as I seemed ready and all the while he would be behind me giving me verbal instructions as to what direction to turn and how to stand. As I began to relax I started to pay great attention to the wonderful sound of the snow hissing beneath my skis. I also loved the feel of the snow blowing against my cheeks. And because we did not ski with poles, I felt like I imagined a surfer would feel.
 
     We took a break for lunch and went out again for a few more runs down the slope. Most of us were exhausted though, and consequently could not go for very long. At the end of the day we got out of the equipment and took off the wet gear and drank some hot chocolate. Unfortunately we had to get back on the road and head back to Richmond. We took a group picture, said our good-byes to Mark and our new friends, and left Massanutten.
 
     Although I have not been able to get back up to Massanutten since, that one snow skiing adventure changed my life. Now I absolutely love to be outdoors and I have this newfound yearning for physical challenge and thrill. Since my trip to Massanutten I have gone tandem hang-gliding, simulated skydiving, water skiing, slaloming and belaying and climbing at an indoor climbing wall. I have also been camping, hiking and horseback riding. I am now working toward running a 5k race at the Transplant Games this summer.
 
     So as you can see, I mean it when I say my adventure to Massanutten changed my life. And I would especially like to thank Mark Andrews for sharing a truly special weekend with all of us. His program is a perfect example of someone helping to turn a disabled person into a truly abled one.