The activities we did are not things that I would have had the confidence to try with any other
organization. We tried kayaking before and folks were very understanding but they really didn’t have the experience or expertise; it was all on us parents. When it is all on us, we are always on edge making sure Kriya is safe. At Achieve Tahoe, we were able to relax and do it as a whole family.

With Achieve Tahoe, Kriya has been able to do something where everyone says “Wow! You were able to do that!” It’s not often that she gets to do something that everyone else is not able to do. It’s a very cool experience for her when she shares her pictures with others and sees their reactions.

From Kriya’s point of view, she said “I feel like I was able to leave all my troubles behind when I was waterskiing”. My younger daughter, Sahana, does not get to participate in most of the adaptive things that we do with Kriya. She either just tags along or I have to make arrangements for her. It just adds to the complexity. But at Achieve Tahoe, my daughters were able to do activities side by side. When they were sailing, Kriya was anxious being in the boat with just the instructor. But the moment she saw Sahana, she kind of settled in.

My husband and I also got to sail. We were all able to talk about it together when we got back- about how I felt, how my husband felt, and we all learned something from it. It was really special for all of us. We all tried something new and had a discussion about that experience. Different people will have different expectations of what success means. But I think from the point of view of gaining something and feeling happy about it, it is 100% given you’re going to get something out of participating with Achieve Tahoe. And it’s not just ‘trying’; you get something very tangible and very meaningful. I’m pretty sure if you try it once, you’re going to want to come back.

Thank you to Kriya and Aruna for sharing their family’s story!