Dear Friends,

After 19 months of loyal CaringBridge support from all of you, I wanted to say one last thank you. I am officially putting this blog to rest and pouring my energy into my next chapter…full-time ski racing on the disabled alpine circuit. I welcome you to continue to follow this new phase through my new blog, www.strive2ski.com where I will post updates on training, travel, races, and the little stories that pop-up in between.

Many of you have committed your support to my recovery through personal donations and later donations to the Overcome Foundation (www.overcomefoundation.org), the foundation I started in response to my accident. I cannot thank you enough both for standing behind me when I needed you most and for standing behind the passion I developed for helping physically disabled women through Overcome.  You have helped me find my feet again and allowed me to help others in the process. As promised in Overcome’s vision, I am spreading the funds in the foundation account to organizations that focus on women’s specific research and education related to physical disabilities. I am also in touch with World Team Sports (www.worldteamsports.org), another potential Overcome benefactor devoted to promoting diversity, awareness, and acceptance of the disabled community through combining able-bodied and disabled athletes in sporting events. When the final distributions are made (likely by June, 2009) I will post that information both on www.strive2ski.com and www.overcomefoundation.org.

The financial support you offered to my personal recovery has provided me with alternative acupuncture and massage therapies, a stationary leg bike to help strengthen my lower body, accessible bathroom furniture, mountain bike wheels and road bike wheels for my wheelchair, and it subsidized my first ski lessons last year in Winter Park. You helped me fall in love with life all over again through mono-skiing. That burst of life brought me back to Telluride to share my new love through full-time employment with the Telluride Adaptive Sports Program. This year, that fund bought my outriggers (crutch-skis used while mono-skiing) and paid my entry for my first ski races and training camps. I am grateful beyond words.

I am now embarking on the next phase of the adventure. In order to compete as an elite female mono-skier who strives to qualify for the US Paralympic Ski Team, I need to raise at least $34,820. While some of the recovery fund still remains, it will not be enough to sustain the annual cost of full-time ski racing. I am really excited to say that I already have $10,000 committed in support.  To all of you who have been a part of my journey on CaringBridge the last 19 months, please consider staying involved through a contribution to the Strive 2 Ski Race Fund. The story is not over. I would like to invite you all to stay with me, and see how it ends.

And don’t worry, I still have plans to re-apply to PA school and take advantage of that career choice which still calls to me.

Thank you for months of support through CaringBridge. Your positive thoughts and words fueled an attitude ready for any challenge, helping even the largest of hurdles seem manageable. Thank you thank you thank you.

                                                                                                                        With love,

                                                                                                                                    Sylvie

Online donations can be made at http://www.strive2ski.com/donate.html.