''Veerle was beaming, she was going like a rocket!"

Veerle ended up at the Mentelity Games through rehabilitation center De Hoogstraat. Together with her parents and sister, she traveled to the Swiss mountains. Not only was this a completely new adventure for Veerle, but her parents had never skied before. Together they took on the challenge!

The first day of class was exciting for everyone. Veerle, for example, told me that there were definitely healthy nerves, but she doesn't really feel fear easily. This was reflected in her progress during the week. In the Netherlands she had only been on skis once before in SnowWorld, but if you saw her go at the end of the week, you would hardly believe this. Veerle went like a rocket! She cruised through the fun park and beamed a little more with each descent. "It's so much fun to ski!" says Veerle, "I also thought it was super nice to be in the mountains. I had never seen it like that in real life, but it was like a fairy tale". Veerle's mother is also excited about the week. "I never thought I would be able to ski with Veerle. We actually didn't think this was possible, but we were amazed at what could be done with a relatively easy adjustment in Veerle's shoe. You don't think about it so much yourself, but it was great to see how many possibilities opened up."

Veerle and her parents also talk about how impressive they found the dynamic and atmosphere during the Games. "There are so many people around you with physical challenges, but everyone is helped wonderfully. It doesn't matter what you have, piece by piece people gain confidence." Veerle's parents, for example, had many goosebump moments. Veerle's mother secretly enjoyed it the most when she stood in the drag elevator up and saw all the happy faces of the people coming down. "That pure happiness you see in the people around you, so special!"

When asked if Veerle would like to attend the Games again next year, there was no doubt, "I definitely want to be there again! I already can't wait anymore."

Do you want to get involved for another person?
To ensure that many people like Veerle can participate in the Mentelity Games again next year, a special event has been created: the 12-hour Challenge. Teams of 3 people take on the challenge of skiing or snowboarding in relay for 12 hours. The teams raise money through crowdfunding. From these proceeds the Mentelity Games will be financed.