CONGRATULATIONS & HIGH FIVE TO 4 CENTRAL REGION #HIGHFIVESATHLETES WHO WERE AWARDED EMPOWERMENT GRANTS IN THE MONTH OF MAY 2016!
In the month of May alone, the High Fives Foundation granted $37,186 to 11 High Fives Athletes. High Five to our 4 central region athletes Jamie Crane-Mauzy, Jim Harris, Georgiana Burnside & Kailyn Forsberg!
The High Fives Foundation supports injured mountain sports athletes through grant funding to be used towards reaching their recovery goals. Since the High Fives Foundation’s January 2009 inception, the Empowerment program service has assisted 110 athletes from 23 states in nine respective funding categories which include: living expenses, insurance, travel, health, healing network, adaptive equipment, winter equipment, programs and “stoke” (positive energy, outlook and attitude).
The Empowerment Fund provides resources and inspiration to those who suffer a life-altering injury. Life-altering injuries are injuries such as spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, amputation or other mobility-limiting injuries that occurred in an athlete’s lifetime. The resources and inspiration we provide come in the form of board-approved grant funding paid to service providers.
“With the Foundation based in Tahoe, it is so important to act as the safety net for all the athletes in the area,” says Roy Tuscany, Executive Director of High Fives Foundation. “This year we have returned numerous athletes back to snow and helped helped others in their recovery, it is truly a blessing.”
22-year-old Park City resident, Jamie Crane-Mauzy, crashed in her second run of the World Tour Finals in Whistler Canada in April 2014. Her injury caused a traumatic brain injury. She’s in the process of making a full-recovery, including returning to skiing last winter.
With an Empowerment Grant from the High Fives Foundation, Mauzy will train with sessions of Neuro Pschology Sessions at Summit Neuro in Park City.
“I’m so stoked to be back with my friends in the mountains, and it truly wouldn’t have been possible without your support!” said Mauzy.
“Every single day Jamie is improving and reaching new goals in her recovery,” saidRoy Tuscany, Executive Director of High Fives Foundation. “In the past year she has returned to some of her favorite things in the world; hiking, surfing, and most importantly, skiing.”
In the month of May alone, the High Fives Foundation granted $37,186 to 11 High Fives Athletes.
The High Fives Foundation is awarding Jim Harris an Empowerment Grant to aid in recovery from a traumatic spinal cord injury. The board-approved Grant will afford Harris the opportunity to receive important personal training and physical therapy treatments.
Jim was involved in a ski-flying accident in November, 2014 causing fractures in his T7/8 and C2/3 vertebrae. The accident left Jim paralyzed at the T6 level. Through hard work atCraig Hospital in Colo., Jim has started to regain mobility. His long-term goal is to return to the sports he loves, and he is well on his way to achieving this goal.
“From a functional standpoint, my life has already returned to something like normalcy” said 34-year-old Harris. “I can walk unassisted, though I have a pretty dramatic limp, shaky balance, and not much endurance. I can ride a bike and even ski again. From this point, my goals start getting more recreation-oriented.”
“We’ve been part of Jim’s recovery since it happened,” said Roy Tuscany, High Fives Foundation Executive Director. “We’ve watched him come so far. This is the kind of recovery we hope for every High Fives Athlete. We’re so proud of him.
In the month of May alone, the High Fives Foundation granted $37,186 to 11 High Fives Athletes.
17-year-old Georgiana Burnside was injured in a ski accident at Snowmass Resort in Aspen Colorado last spring. She hit a patch of ice, misdirecting her off a large drop on the side of the trail and fell 50 feet following her crash, causing T12/L1 spinal cord injury.
Upon landing on her back, Burnside realized she could not move her legs. She was flown directly to Craig Hospital where she underwent surgery to repair her spine. A YouTube movie depicts her one year living with her injury (featured below).
Burnside’s goal is to become independent again, and live the typical life of a young adult. She is moving to Denver to focus solely on her recovery goals.
“High Fives gives me hope — hope that felt unattainable after my injury,” says Burnside. “This Foundation provides a community of resilient people who are there to encourage you and support you on your road to recovery. I am thankful to be a part of such an awesome group.”
“Just the other day, I received a video of Georgina walking unassisted at the Peak Center,” says Roy Tuscany, Executive Director of High Fives Foundation. “Each stride she takes in the video shows the positive impact that her personal training sessions are providing to her recovery.”
In the month of May alone, the High Fives Foundation granted $37,186 to 11 High Fives Athletes.
Eagle County 16-year-old Kailyn Forsberg suffered a tragic spinal cord injury attempting a backflip during warmups for a competitive slope style event in April 2015.
The ski fall caused Forsberg to land directly on her neck. She instantly lost feeling in her lower extremities. The crash caused a complete C7 spinal cord injury.
She has endured a strong rehabilitation at Denver’s Craig Hospital and is continuing with a grant from California’s High Fives Foundation. The Empowerment Grant will allow Forsberg to continue training at the Peak Center and on the specialized FES bike.
Forsberg’s goal is to recover as much as is medically possible and to get back to doing the things she loves. This year she returned to skiing at Winter Park Resort learning on a specialized mono ski for paraplegic skiers. Eventually she would like to become a safety advocate in the action-sports community.
“I’m excited to continue my training towards recovery, and getting back to the things I love,” says Forsberg. “I look forward to helping future injured athletes navigate the recovery process and regain their independence.”
“In the past year, Kailyn has started to participate in more and more sports, from skiing to kayaking,” said Roy Tuscany, Executive Director of High Fives Foundation. “The sessions at the PEAK Center are only going to make her stronger and allow her to excel in all the sports she is taking on.”
Forsberg has already begun to share mentorship about life with a spinal cord injury to another young High Fives Athlete, 17-year-old Georgiana Burnside. Georgiana, also recovering at Craig Hospital, was injured in a ski accident at Snowmass in Aspen in March of 2015. The two athletes have become friends.
In the month of May alone, the High Fives Foundation granted $37,186 to 11 High Fives Athletes.
