They are plenty able to show you how to have fun, too

August 28, 2011|By Kathy Shiels Tully, Globe Correspondent

EASTON, N.H. - Bella, 10, skis and bikes. Ziplining is next. Martin, an avid outdoorsman, recently celebrated turning 42. He skis, hikes, and snowshoes. Last month, Christian, 17, an athlete who skis, kayaks, bikes, swims, and plays bocce and lawn tennis, waterskied.

Bella was born with cerebral palsy. Martin has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and has been on a ventilator for four years. Christian, who is autistic, has epilepsy and gastroparesis. They are but three of the 125 participants involved with Adaptive Sports Partners of North Country (ASPNC), based in Easton.

The organization was founded two years ago by Sandy Olney for individuals with disabilities - physical or intellectual - “from 5 to 105 [to] come to the White Mountains to enjoy all it has to offer.’’ Aware that many ski mountains offer adaptive ski programs, Olney dreamed bigger, envisioning an all-encompassing, year-round sports and recreation program. Started for residents of Northern Grafton, Carroll, and Coos counties in northern New Hampshire, and Eastern Caledonia and Essex counties in Vermont, ASPNC welcomes weekenders from out of state.

Operating under the motto “Rooted in the community, reaching out to all - all disabilities, all sports, all seasons,’’ the 50 volunteers, like their leader, are relentless in ensuring there are no reasons not to participate.

Bella Hibberd of Bethlehem, her blond hair usually in a pony or pigtails, has blue eyes and “an amazing smile’’ her mother, April, says. The fifth-grader can’t sit up on her own. Despite limited speech and mobility, Bella’s laughter clearly communicates to Tom Norcott, a volunteer from Franconia, that she loves to bicycle fast and go over bumps.

“It’s the thrill to experience something first-hand - the view from the top of a mountain, or to ski downhill,’’ her mother says.

Getting friends and family to enjoy an activity together is ASPNC’s ultimate goal.

Martin Wallem’s hazel eyes sparkle, his wife, Cara, says, when he joins his son, Martin John, 8, skiing or hiking. A big guy, at 6 feet and 200 pounds, her husband is “virtually paralyzed, except for eye movement, and on life support for the past four years,’’ Cara says, “but relatively healthy and no hospital stays in three years.’’

Diagnosed at 31 with ALS, only months after they married, Martin was given two to three years to live - 10 years ago.

Christian Keach’s gastroparesis requires him to be tube-fed and take medication to aid digestion. “We almost lost him in October 2008,’’ his mother, Sheila, said. “He was 5 foot 7 inches and only 97 pounds.’’ Today, the active teen, at 5-foot-10 and 150 pounds, is a confident Special Olympics gold-medal winner. There’s more.