SNOWMASS, Colo. – The year was 2021, and U.S. Army Veteran Andrew Carpenter was brimming with contentment. He was building a career as a software account executive and embracing life in the ever-changing, yet illuminated daze of first-time parenthood.
Then without warning, everything changed. After 15 years of military service and overseeing countless tactical aircraft missions, Carpenter had grown accustomed to unpredictability. But there was nothing that could have prepared him for the abrupt reality of being paralyzed.
“It pretty much came on suddenly. I got numbness and tingling in my fingers and toes, and that turned into a weakness in my arms and muscles,” Carpenter shared. “Then I woke up one morning, and I couldn’t move anything.”
Carpenter was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder that tricks the body’s immune system into attacking its own nerves.
Immediately following the onset of his paralysis, Carpenter was rushed to emergency surgery. He experienced a week-long coma to perform life-saving interventions, followed by two months as an inpatient at United Hospital in Minneapolis, and four months of inpatient care at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center.
“It was pretty scary. Once the paralysis let up in a certain area, every time I tried to move it was complete pain, because the protective coating around the nerves was all eaten away by this syndrome,” Carpenter shared.
Recovery was grueling. The former aviation operation specialist found himself relearning how to walk and talk, while also managing a traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, and back and neck injuries from his time in service.
“It felt like being imprisoned,” Carpenter shared. “My son was six months at the time, so it was very important for me to get home and be able to see his first birthday.”
His routine of total independence had been upended by intensive therapy and constant evaluations, but the former Resiliency Trainer was not easily deterred. Early in his recovery, he asked his physical therapist if there was more he could do. That’s when he discovered the Winter Sports Clinic.
“My physical therapist said as long as you got the attitude that you’re going to do it, then we’ll make sure you can get up and down the hill,” Carpenter said. “These [adaptive sports events] where you can really push your body have been just incredible.”
Five years later, Carpenter has regained most of his mobility. Now, during his fifth consecutive trip to “Miracle Mountain,” Carpenter pushed for more independence by training on a mono ski – which is a single, wide ski that allows the rider to position both feet side-by-side and face forward while maneuvering downhill.
“When I found out you can be on the mono ski and go down by yourself on the chairlift, that really got me excited,” Carpenter said.
Carpenter’s positive disposition is both innate and earned, but he wants fellow Veterans to know that, regardless of their current outlook, there is something to be gained on the mountainside.
“Just push yourself and see what can happen,” Carpenter said. “[Recovering] has been a rough time, but [there are] other people who are here at the clinic and have gone through similar things. We all have our own story, and it’s been really great to connect with so many people.”
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