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maskmatters.org
FALL 2017
ANYTHING
IS POSSIBLE
By // Tessa Ringo
PHOTOGRAPHY
Courtesy of Tessa Ringo
W
hen my husband and I found
out we were expecting, we
couldn’t wait to share our love
of the outdoors and sports
with our new bundle of joy. I
remember planning our first hikes and couldn’t
wait to see my husband teaching our children
to throw a baseball for the first time.
Our dreams were almost lost when I went
into preterm labor and the tiniest baby boy
came into our world too soon. Aidan was born
nine weeks premature and spent over 40 days
in the NICU. Even through all of his struggles,
you could see he was a force to be reckoned
with and nothing would stop him.
When Aidan was 18 months old, he was
diagnosed with cerebral palsy and it became
clear that walking was going to be a struggle
for him. My husband and I saw our dreams of
T-ball, hiking and rock climbing shattered. I
realized that we would have to redefine what
being a parent meant to us.
Just because Aidan was differently abled
didn’t mean he wasn’t capable of anything.
We made it our mission to adapt activities as
much as we could. If we were hiking in Zion
National Park, Aidan was in a
backpack and experiencing the hike
with us. If we were chopping wood
for the fire, Aidan was dragging the
logs back to camp with his power
wheelchair.
The same applied to sports—
we wanted Aidan to learn the
importance of sportsmanship. We knew team sports were
a great way for him to gain confidence in himself, but also
to learn to work with others as a team, to communicate his
needs, and to respect his teammates and coaches. Sports
have been a great bridge for Aidan to connect with children
his age, whether it’s during PE or while playing in his
adaptive baseball league at Ability 360 Sports
and Fitness Center, a facility that provides
adaptive sports for people with disabilities.
The experience has been life-changing
for Aidan. He’s been able to participate in
a triathlon, attend power wheelchair soccer
and wheelchair basketball camps, rock climb,
and kayak. He’s also working for his certification as a
junior scuba diver. Sports has given Aidan a springboard
for commonality with his peers, as well as an opportunity
to create awareness for the disabled community. Aidan
continues to show that anything is possible and we can’t
wait to see what he does next!
educate
+
minute with mom
“Just because Aidan
was differently abled
didn’t mean he wasn’t
capable of anything.”
