Since 1981 Scottish Rite for Children has hosted the annual Amputee Ski Trip. Fourteen teenage patients, as well as medical staff and hospital chaperones, spend a week at the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) in Winter Park, Colo. Lives are transformed while leaving a lifelong impact on all who attend.  

Patients from around the country have the opportunity to gain independence, while being surrounded by others with similar conditions. “It can be really hard to connect with people and you start to think that you can’t ever find anyone that will understand you,” says a previous attendee. “But here, everyone understands you.”

NBC DFW covered the sendoff ceremony at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Watch the full story here. 

Additional Ski Trip Sendoff segments: 
CBS 11 Evening News
FOX 4 Good Day.