As Kiana Leslie traveled west on Colorado’s Interstate 70 for the first time this past week, she couldn’t help but notice the largest mountains she had ever seen. For this 18-year-old Floridian, seeing snow is rare. Watching peaks rise upwards of 2,000 feet from a valley floor seemed otherworldly.

Leslie was heading to Summit County because she was supposed to get out of her wheelchair and into a sit-ski so she could ride down one of these peaks. She knew this is what she signed up for, but seeing the enormous mountains in real life versus in a photo made her feel like this was a crazier idea than she had originally thought. She was nervous. 

Her mother, Millicent Whitehead, sat next to her.

The mountains had Whitehead in awe. She wasn’t nervous about Leslie skiing. She was nervous Leslie would be too worried to go through with it. Whitehead, an immigrant from Jamaica, had plans in a couple days to FaceTime her mother, brothers and aunt to show them one of the first family members ever to ski. To up her chances of being able to broadcast the monumental occasion, she brought two large blue cowbells as a way to encourage Leslie to get on the sit-ski and overcome her nerves.

A couple days later, April 8, the pair arrived at Breckenridge Ski Resort’s Peak 9 as part of a Wheelchairs 4 Kids program that gives people the opportunity to try out the thrill of adaptive downhill skiing, and it was go time. Whitehead said a Wheelchairs 4 Kids programs manager and staff members from Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center, a local nonprofit that specializes in adaptive sports, started easing Leslie’s nerves right away. 

Volunteers showed Leslie around and explained to her what they would be doing. Sensing some nerves, someone had the idea to play Leslie some music.

Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center Director Jeff Inouye said his staff knows what events like this mean to people, so they find ways to make people as comfortable as possible. 

“It’s showing people something that they never dreamed they would be able to do,” Inouye said. 

The crew placed a small portable speaker on Leslie’s sit-ski by her feet. Whitehead said they played music for her nearly the entire time. Whitehead was stoked to be able to finally use the cowbells as her daughter proceeded to take three laps on a sit ski. 

By the time the second day of skiing came around, Leslie was excited to FaceTime her family in Jamaica to show them her new skill.

Also on this Wheelchair 4 Kids ski trip was Alesia Burdon, who, at first, was also pretty taken aback by the size of the mountains. Yet, nerves were quickly settled when arriving to the resort and seeing all the festivities.

She loved it so much her first day that the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center snuck her out for an extra run. She was advocating to be taken as high up on the mountain as possible the next day. 

This trip was timed perfectly for the Burdons. While in Breckenridge, Alesia celebrated her 18th birthday. While Burdon was legally coming into adulthood, health events pushed her to grow up fast and develop a level of maturity and endurance most people her age lack. 

Before Burdon even turned 10, she was diagnosed with a type of bone cancer. It wouldn’t be long before the family was informed that her left leg would need to be amputated.

Her mother, Adonica, said among all the devastating news being thrown the family’s way, there was one pretty bright glimmer of hope. Burdon had been selected to participate in a clinical trial for a prosthetic that had the potential to change this sector of healthcare.  

“They gave her an indwelling prosthetic,” Adonica Burdon said. “She’s only maybe one of 50 people in the United States that have it.”

This prosthetic looks like a real leg because it uses the person’s skin as the exterior. Alongside the prosthetic, Burdon also was given physical therapy where she could learn to walk again. 

A few years later, the Burdons would unfortunately receive more bad news regarding their daughter’s health. Her cancer spread to her right lung, so doctors had to remove part of it a couple years back. Adonica said her daughter has only been on the mend since. 

The most difficult thing the family had to deal with while in Breckenridge was prying Alesia off the mountain. 

Inouye explained how events come together through collaboration. He said Wheelchairs 4 Kids does a phenomenal job utilizing and creating partnerships that make trips like these free for families. He said, many times, it is just as much of a learning experience for the families as it is the kids. 

“A lot of the families have never skied or even been in snow,” Inouye said. 

For Adonica Burdon, she learned her daughter loved skiing. 

“She came down the hill, and I heard her say, ‘Again, again, again!'” Adonica Burdon said. “Everyone was so incredible.”