Helping rays of sunshine: Children’s cancer foundation enjoys week on the slopes at Beaver Creek
As Beaver Creek Mountain nears Closing Day, one group is offering hope for sunnier days to come.
The Sunshine Kids Foundation, a national organization dedicated to providing quality group activities and opportunities for children with cancer, is out on the hill this week with a team of nurses and ski instructors to help kids who are fighting cancer get outside, have fun and see the brighter side of life.
“The Sunshine Kids Winter Games started back in 1982, bringing teenagers with cancer together to not only learn how to ski and conquer a mountain but also form bonds with other kids their same age facing similar battles with childhood cancers,” said Jennifer Wisler, executive director of the nonprofit. “This is our fourth year hosting it in Beaver Creek, and we feel like we found an incredible home for this adventure. What an amazing ski and snowboard school.”
The organization brings kids from all over the country to attend in these games, whether or not they have any snowsports experience. “And then with a little encouragement and some expert training, they have the opportunity to conquer something new and all the while meeting new friends,” Wisler said.
Not only do the kids get an enriching experience, but their medical professionals get to see the lasting benefits of their work.
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“I work in the pediatric ICU, so all my kids are really sick and would have never been able to do these sort of activities. I see them at their sickest,” said Chelsea Lubischer, a nurse at Memorial Sun Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. “To see the kids get better and do activities like this and live full lives is a part of the oncology world that I don’t get to see as an ICU nurse. And so it’s extremely special. I’m loving it. It’s really awesome.”
As the kids enjoyed the day, their struggles were set aside with overwhelming enthusiasm and support. Anthony Alamo, 15, of Connecticut, had his left leg amputated above the knee due to cancer and has another surgery coming after this trip, but neither of those factors got in the way of his enjoyment as he took laps off Haymeadow Express on his ski bike and enjoyed his first real exposure to winter sports.
“I picked it up pretty quick, I think, and just been having an awesome time,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jordan Obernesser, 15, of Golden, continued to prove that Colorado kids are built a little bit differently by clocking an impressive 40,798 vertical feet and 21 lifts in four hours on Wednesday.
“I got diagnosed with osteosarcoma, which is a bone cancer in August 2022,” he said. “And so then I was going through chemo from September to November. And then I had a pretty major surgery called rotationplasty where they basically remove my whole knee. And then they take my foot and flip it around and reattach it up to my thigh. And so that’s what I use as my knee joint now.” Obernesser, who had already skied nearly 30 days at Winter Park this year but was embracing the new surroundings in Beaver Creek by also having fun on the ski bike.
The experiences these two kids were having were made possible with the help of Beaver Creek’s adaptive skier program. For instructor Ken Wander, this is one of his favorite times of the year. “It’s an amazing event,” he said. “These kids are awesome and they deserve everything that we can do for them, and then some … and I love being a part of it.
“Anything you can do for a little while to get them out … and smile and laugh and play. It’s amazing … I feel so fortunate that I can be able to do that with them.”
