Never Giving Up

Conversations buzzed throughout DREAM Adaptive Recreation’s trailer at the base of Whitefish Mountain Resort, cold air swirling with every open and close of the door as a flurry of volunteers prepped the changing of the guard from morning to afternoon lessons. 

At the center of it all was Katie Newman, who sat in her wheelchair — right leg crossed over left — changing into a dry pair of socks after a nearly three-hour ski lesson. 

It was less than four years ago when doctors told Newman she wouldn’t even be able to move her hands, let alone shred down a mountain, following a horse accident that left her quadriplegic. 

But Newman, who’s always loved speed and an adrenaline rush, was never willing to accept that prognosis, she said. 

“I was told that I would never get any leg function back,” Newman said. “My hands wouldn’t work. I would probably need 24/7 care. 

“That’s not an option.” 

 Following an extended hospital stay, Newman began physical therapy and hired a personal trainer to further dedicate herself to her recovery. Just over a year after her accident, Newman added DREAM to her rehabilitation regiment, joining its hand-cycle mountain bike program in summer 2023.   

DREAM Adaptive Recreation was founded in 1985 and now provides year-round outdoor adaptive sports opportunities to people with both cognitive and physical disabilities with the goal of empowering people with accessible outdoor recreation. The organization works with disabled persons ages 5 and up, including free programing for active-duty service members and veterans with a disability from any area. 

The organization first began offering adaptive alpine skiing programs to people with disabilities on Big Mountain and, now in its 41st year, has grown to offer more than a thousand lessons annually in downhill skiing and snowboarding, Nordic skiing, biking, paddle sports and motorized water sports. 

“It all kind of goes together,” Newman said. “So the DREAM, the physical therapy and the personal trainer are all making me stronger in every different way. If I can keep being consistent in my therapy, then the more opens up for DREAM activities.”  

Over the last year, however, Newman’s seen a new training partner come into the mix — her 7-year-old son Aiden.  

Aiden took his first DREAM Adaptive ski lesson last year and has since participated in a mix of the organization’s summer and winter programming. He was diagnosed with autism around age 2 and was largely nonverbal, only communicating through screams.  

Like his mother, Aiden began working with a team — one filled with occupational and speech therapists — and channeled the same resilient nature. 

Now, Aiden runs around DREAM’s shack, telling just about anyone who will listen about his snowboarding lesson and how much he loves hitting the slopes with his mom. 

On May 31, 2022, Newman was warming up on her horse for a barrel race — something she’s done countless times since she was young — when one moment changed her life. 

 “He reared and spun around and then went off bucking,” Newman said. “So I was bucked off, and I broke my neck. I broke my C5 [vertebra] and I spent 10 days in the ICU here in Kalispell, and then was flown to Salt Lake City for two-and-a-half months to do rehab.  

“I came home in August, and ever since then, it’s just doing physical therapy and getting stronger.” 

The accident, however, wasn’t the first time Newman faced a lifestyle-altering challenge. Newman, who was born and raised in Kalispell, was diagnosed with diabetes at age 4, she said. 

“Now that I have my two boys, when they were 4, I couldn’t even imagine what my parents went through having to learn a whole new lifestyle.” 

Despite the diagnosis, Newman’s parents never treated her any differently from her two brothers, instilling an early belief in her that no obstacle could stop her from living the life she wants and achieving her goals, she said. 

This was a message she held closely and spread to others in the world of Montana rodeo throughout her childhood, beginning as early as 8-years-old. 

“I did the northwest Montana pro rodeo pageants and I was a little miss and a princess, so I traveled around Montana promoting rodeo and talking to kids about dreams and never giving up,” Newman said.  

 “I was diagnosed with diabetes at age 4, so that was kind of my motto through the rodeo pageant and everything. Just because you have a disease or anything that makes you different — different is normal — don’t let things like that get in your way.” 

 This motto became increasingly relevant when Newman was faced with what doctors described to her as a limited future — a future she wasn’t willing to accept. 

 “After my neck surgery, I had a twitch in my knee, and then it went to my big toe on my right side,” Newman said. “So that’s where it kind of all started.” 

 Newman in October 2023 set the goal of standing up from her wheelchair on her own, as opposed to the multiple physical therapists and bed sheet that were needed the first time she tried to stand. She achieved this goal in December 2025, crediting DREAM as a key component to accomplishing the feat.  

 “Everything that DREAM has is strengthening and getting you out so you’re not stuck at home all the time,” Newman said. “They never say no. If something doesn’t fit, they’re gonna figure out an adaptive equipment to help it work, which I think is huge.” 

Through the therapy sessions, DREAM programs and more, the greatest motivation for Newman has been her family — especially her sons Aiden and Odin, 9. 

 “We do everything together,” Newman said about her two sons. “We’re very close.” 

 Like his mother, Aiden also faced challenges early in his life because of his autism diagnosis. 

 “Between [age] 2 and 3, he was nonverbal and would scream to communicate, and so I knew something wasn’t quite right,” Newman said. “It’s overwhelming when you get the diagnosis.” 

 The diagnosis, though, has allowed both Aiden and Newman to participate in DREAM, whether it be hitting the slopes at Big Mountain or exploring mountain bike trails together.  

 “They are able to work with all levels of ability,” Newman said. “It doesn’t matter what your diagnosis is, they have somebody that is great with kids and great with this level, and can give them something to look forward to and get excited about.  

 “Anytime Aiden sees the lights up on the mountain, he says, ‘Mom, that’s where I go. That’s where I go snowboarding. I want to go back there.’” 

 The programming offers Newman the opportunity to be just like any other parent, she said. 

 “I was on a magic carpet today, and he found me and he was running up alongside me on the outside of the trail,” Newman said. “It’s pretty cool to do activities as a family. We’re very family oriented. 

 “Just because I’m in a chair doesn’t mean that I still can’t be a mom.” 

 It also helps her build the strength needed to support both of her sons as they grow and try new activities, especially her oldest, Odin, who’s venturing into the world of rodeo and barrel racing. 

 “To ride with them would be just another step up, but it’s not something that I have to have to feel fulfilled,” Newman said. “I go to the rodeos and the barrel races and practices, so I’m always at all their activities. As a mom, just being there to support them fulfills my want to be doing it with them.” 

As Newman begins working toward her next goal — relearning to walk — she’ll do so with the help of DREAM programing and her biggest champions, her sons. 

“They’re my biggest supporters,” Newman said. “If I need something or help or a push or whatever, my two boys are right there wanting to help. They’re my biggest helpers.” 

DREAM Adaptive Recreation is a nonprofit organization aiming to enhance the quality of life of individuals age 5 and up with physical, cognitive, intellectual, developmental and sensory disabilities by providing year-round outdoor adaptive recreational opportunities. To learn more about DREAM and its programs, visit its website: www.dreamadaptive.org.  

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