((TITLE)) ADAPTIVE SKIERS
((TRT: 18:33))
((Producer/Camera/Editor: Philip Alexiou))
((Map: Alexandria, Virginia))
((Main characters: 0 female; 1 male))
((Sub characters: 2 female; 2 male))
((Blurb: Through his non-profit, Josh Basile leads the group with spinal cord injuries for a winter adventure of skiing in Pennsylvania, proving anything is possible.))
((NATS))
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
Alexa, turn off TV. Elevator does a great job getting me where I need to go. It’s a great commute to work. I love it.
Wake up. First floor.
Today was filled with getting everything ready for the adventurous weekend. I had to get all the waivers. Everything signed up for all the participants. All their student forms. I had to get directions out to all the participants of where to park, where to go, what time to be. Checked in with all the participants, making sure they're still coming. A lot of the logistics of putting together an event for our seven participants and we’ve got 12 family members coming. So, it's going to be hopefully a successful weekend and hopefully the weather will cooperate.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Almost. Yay. Good one. You were a very good athlete. I’m surprised you didn’t dominate.
((Edwin Fava Jr.
Katie's Father))
Skiing totally wasted me.
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
This is called the MouthPad, and basically, it’s a retainer that fits the top of my mouth. And it has a touchpad and I’m able to control different devices, my phone, my computer, with just my tongue and my head. And if you pop it in my mouth...swipe up…16…and now I can control everything with my head and my mouth. I’m one of 10 people in the world that are currently benefiting from this device.
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
So, it has different abilities where you can either, I can stop moving my head. So, basically, it has different modes where I can control solely by my tongue, or I can control with my head movement. I am able to click with just my tongue. I am able to take pictures. I am able to drag and drop and change and able to flip through things. It’s an amazing piece of technology that has given me so much new independence without always having to use my voice to control everything. So, its…technology is fun. As technology evolves, opportunities evolve, and I am excited to keep having different toys to play with.
I got in early on as a tester and I helped them with creating a product that could best help the community and people that have limited to no arm movement and want to control their environment.
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
My packing list is crazy long. Medical supplies. I’ve got all my clothing, got my GoPro mounts and GoPro stuff for the skiing, got my toiletries, and then my other…lots of checks. Make sure everything's there. I feel like I'm always a pharmacy wherever I go because I come rolling deep with different things that are needed for every situation. It takes a lot to take care of a quadriplegic body. I have probably about a good 15 different travel lists for different occasions, whether it's, you know, the wintertime going skiing or it's the summertime, wherever it might be. It's whether it's the amount of time that you're going to be traveling or the destination, it calls for many, many different ways of changing kind of the number of medical supplies you need, the type of clothing you need.
Yep, let's put that in there. Do you have the sling? The different types of lift systems or slings for transferring, every trip is a little bit different.
((NATS))
What's up big guy?
((NATS))
Hey Josh!
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
Yep.
((NATS))
Have a good time, buddy.
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
Thank you, Eddie.
((NATS))
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
Perfect.
Okay, let's see what we got here. Yeah. We'll bring that all the way in the corner. Home sweet home.
((NATS:
Nyasha Ndoro
Caretaker))
Yes, sir.
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
All right. Always like hot water and water. Quadriplegics are notoriously cold. Our body temperatures and everything regulating always runs really, really low. Everything with being a quadriplegic takes a little extra time, but being careful, make sure mistakes are not made and other things done safely. And having equipment like this lift system to pick me up out of my chair and get me in the bed safely, saves my body and saves my caregiver's bodies, where this is a, there's not a, I can't flip a switch and not be quadriplegic. So, from a long-term standpoint, it's good to have good equipment in place and do this safely. This is one of my favorite moments of the day when my head gets to hit the pillow. It just feels good. Nice and toasty.
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
Look like a Halloween costume, like a mummy all wrapped up. Not everybody has the lift system to get in bed, so some quadriplegics do a manual transfer. And for the most part, all quadriplegics run a little cold. I put in a full eight-to-10-hour workday already, and now I'm ready to get to bed. And tomorrow I'm going to be bringing seven paralyzed families to go skiing on the slopes. And it was a tremendous amount of work to put it all together while having a full-time job as a lawyer, as a consultant, and it's just taking care of business, being able to get out of my home and out and about and experiencing the world. It's new scenes, new days, new adventures, and just making it happen.
((NATS))
((Steve Gurney
BRASS Blue Ridge Adaptive Snow Sports))
Today, what we've got is, we've got some bi-skiers. We haven't really made assignments. We want this to be a team effort. We're going to figure out who's best to go out with each of the bi-ski students today.
((Katie Fava
Josh’s Fiancée))
Does that feel good?
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
With my non-profit, Determined2Heal, we like to get families out of their homes and out on adventures. I would have a big theme or a thing that we like to promote, which is Living With Adventurous Wheels. And it's all about kind of having a willingness to try to get outside of your comfort zone and experience the world around you. So, one of our adaptive adventures and sports and activities is adaptive skiing. I learned about BRASS [Blue Ridge Adaptive Snow Sports] which is a special program here and around the DC area that takes families out, basically match up with them where they bring the instructors, they have the mountain, they have the training, the equipment, and I bring the families. And I always make sure I find ways to raise enough money to make it so that the families have zero expenses while they're on this trip, to be able to focus on having fun and making memories. And so that's what brings us here today to Liberty Mountain.
((NATS: Instructor))
So, if we look down, if we're coming straight down here, it's pretty. The pitch is pretty good. If we get over to the right, it becomes a little bit of a double fault. So, it kind of leans and takes you further to the right. So that's why we'll kind of stay to the left side.
((NATS))
Center and right. Center and left. Left, left, left. There we go. Center and right. Hold that right. Center and left.
((Van Brooks
Quadriplegic))
Feels good. A lot of fun. Starting to get the hang of it now. So, this is my second time doing it. And it's a lot of fun. A lot of fun. I enjoy the core workout. So, all in all it’s great.
((NATS: Loading Josh into sled))
We did not get anywhere near it.
Okay.
All right, one second. All right, let's do another lift. And if you guys can push my butt back.
((NATS))
One, two.
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
Good job, everybody. Okay, all right. I can feel it in the top part that’s not down. Feel good. What we need to do is let's get strapped in and then we're going to do extra straps around my arms. So, grab both hands and kind of cross them across each other. So, one there, yep. Get the elbows in, get both elbows in more. I love you.
((Katie Fava
Josh's Fiancée))
I love you. Have fun.
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
Let's go skiing, boys.
((NATS))
Ready? Got to rest this back.
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
Are we on?
((NATS))
All right. Head back, Josh. All right. We've got to wait. That's all right. No, no, no. Go ahead, back off. You ready?
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
Yeah. Wait, wait. Get the helmet, get it over.
((NATS))
Yeah, okay. So, let's bring helmet there...got it. Okay, there we go.
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
It's just…it's always fun coming back here. I just had so many childhood memories when I was, when I would ski as a kid.
((NATS))
Yeah?
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
And now coming back.
((NATS))
This is the place you came?
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
I would come here a lot and to White Tail [ski resort].
((Chandra Smith
Miss Wheelchair America 2024))
Chandra Smith, Miss Wheelchair America 2024. I am a triple amputee. I also had a stroke. And all of this occurred from sepsis [infection]. September the 8th, 2021, yeah. So, I spent a year and a day in the hospital, and then this is just one year out post recovery from my injury.
I did go skiing. It was amazing. So, when you're at the top of the mountain, it is extremely scary, but then when you go down, you feel a sense of accomplishment that I was actually able to do it, and it was exhilarating. Once you get the hang of it, it's fun times all the way down.
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
What's amazing, what people come up to you, and then like they say that they have a brother or a sister or a family member or someone they know, and they would love them to be able to do these things they didn’t know it was possible. They didn’t know that these type of programs existed. And when you get those families that come to you, it starts a conversation. It teaches the world that anything's possible, and just kind of need to be matched up with the right people, the right organizations, to get out there.
((NATS))
Okay, push forward.
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
All right, Fable, you see where it says, you see where it says rest area? Let's go all the way where it says rest area. All right, let's do it. All right. Here we go.
((NATS: Instructor))
Oh, you’ve even got the little hop down.
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
Oh, yeah. I love it. She loves the hop more than anything.
((NATS Instructor))
The bunny hop.
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
We can do this. Let’s…could we catch up to her a little bit? Is that possible? It's just every adventure that I get to be a part of, even though I'm paralyzed below my shoulders. I really can't move my arms much or at all. And it's, to be able to do it without having those physical functionalities, it just, it's a true testament that really most anything is still possible. It’s just, it's going to look different and different can still be fun.
My son, I want to see he goes in my lap. Can we just ride him down to like the lift?
((Katie Fava
Josh’s Fiancée))
Do you have that other strap with you?
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
No, but I got the strap around my arms you can probably take off. We're not going crazy fast. So, this Velcro strap we can do. All right Faeble, we’re going to follow your lead Faeble. Say hi to Rigel. Okay, we'll give Calder a little ride. We can go a little fast. You ready for the hill? You ready for the hill, big guy? Here we go. Here we go. Yay. Yay. Yeah, good job, buddy.
Anything is possible if you're, have the willingness to try and if you're able to get out there and experience what life has to offer.
I love it. That’s his first ever.
I know when we go down these mountains, we're turning people's heads. We're making them think a little bit differently.
((Damon Walker
Paraplegic))
Oh, it was amazing. It was a great experience. Like, I kind of surprised myself. I was able to get so much done.
((Corrie Jones
Volunteer))
Yeah, he's a rock star. So, usually it takes us a little longer to teach somebody that kind of stuff. But he picked it up super quick.
So, he's got great balance, great athleticism. So it was easy.
((Damon Walker
Paraplegic))
Yeah, I was at a time when I fell a lot, but I definitely got one run where I got a clean run from top to bottom. So that definitely made me feel like I can go in and hold my head up high.
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
Great job, everyone. That was fun.
((Nyasha Ndoro
Caretaker))
That was. Thank you.
((NATS))
You’re welcome.
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
You would not believe how fast Faeble is.
((Nyasha Ndoro
Caretaker))
I saw she was ahead of you.
((Josh Basile
Lawyer, Consultant, Founder of Determined2Heal))
No, she just rocketing by us. The more active we live, the more active the world is.
((NATS))