Jacob's Wish to Learn to Ski

Jacob is a 15-year-old from Sagadahoc County with a rare genetic disorder. Jacob is a very happy and friendly kid who loves the Patriots, cooking shows, and music! He listens to the perfect mixture of classical, pop, and country tunes. In his free time, he loves to go sledding and ride his horse Luke in his equestrian therapy session.

Because Jacob is non-verbal, his parents took a lot of time to find the perfect wish choice for him. After a few months of brainstorming, they asked Jacob if he would like to learn to ski, a favorite hobby for his other family members. He immediately began dancing and cheering in excitement.

“Knowing that his is such an adventurer…and just kind of being a guy who is up for anything…we knew if he liked it that it would be something we could do in the future,” says wish mom Sarah.

To help with this wish, the team connected with Maine Adaptive, a Maine-based nonprofit that provide adaptive sports and recreation for people with disabilities. Jacob arrived at Sugarloaf with his mom and dad and was immediately greeted by the team from Maine Adaptive to do his assessment and get him introduced to the equipment. After picking up their rentals, the family headed back to stay at a beautiful condo stocked with hot chocolate, a new travel mug, pancake mix, and syrup for their stay.

On Saturday, Jacob arrived at Sugarloaf to be greeted by a wonderful cheering squad from both Sugarloaf staff and Maine Adaptive volunteers/participants. Jacob loves clapping, so this was a really special way to start his day of skiing. He and his family met grabbed their equipment and then immediately hit the slopes! The weather wasn’t exactly working in their favor, but they were happy to get Jacob on the lift to mid-mountain. After he finished a run, he was signing “more, more.” Jacob’s dad was able to snowboard next to him the entire time.

“Oh my gosh, it was so exciting,” recounts Sarah. “It was really special.”

Jacob wasn’t up for the second day of skiing, but they enjoyed a cozy day in the condo. They said that their stay was nothing short of beautiful.