Sixteen-year-old Sarah Holm grew up on the ski slopes. Her father, Dave, was always at her side. It was a time for them to bond, to enjoy being a father and daughter.

It took a rare spinal cord condition to change that. Even after being diagnosed, Sarah spent more than six years trying to overcome tethered cord syndrome. She even banned her family from using the word “disabled.”

“She skied for six years on legs she couldn’t feel,” Dave told a local newspaper.

When Sarah was 14, it seemed that the removal of part of her spinal cord would end her skiing days.

But she knew of a way she could keep skiing.

Sarah’s medical condition made her eligible for a wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® . She wanted her wish granters to give her the power to ski again – and they did.

Make-A-Wish^® volunteers arranged for Sarah to visit Colorado where she’d receive adaptive ski equipment – and learn how to use it.

Sarah can’t yet do the things she used to do on the slopes. At her peak, she’d zip down slopes making only 20 turns per run. During her first weekend on the adaptive mono ski, she turned about 100 times per run.

But that doesn’t matter to Dave, who also coached Sarah.

"It was heaven to have her there skiing with me, after so many years of her crutching up and down the hill cheering her friends," he said.

One of Sarah’s instructors that weekend was the coach for the U.S. Adaptive Ski Team. He had encouraging words for Sarah. She’s already been invited to ski racing camps. She also has the possibility of racing with the national adaptive ski team to reach for.

"I feel I could go a lot further than what I thought I could do," Sarah said. "But that’s something I’d have to think about."

While the mono ski opened the future to Sarah, she spent her time focused on the moment: The sound of her edge carving packed powder, the anticipation of each day’s first run and the emotional lift of being by her father’s side on the slopes.

"It was really good to be turning down the slopes again," she said.