Julie Suttles: Daring to Leap

Julie Suttles.

Julie Suttles understands what the kids who come to the Adventure Amputee Camp, Bryson City, North Carolina, are going through. The camp counselors also understand because they, too, have been campers. For five days in July, 30 campers with limb loss or limb difference, ranging in age from 7 to 17, go whitewater rafting, swimming, and if they feel up to the challenge, swinging off a 40-foot platform in the ropes course. For a small slice of time, the campers get to feel less different from other children, and they learn to shrug off stares—just like Suttles does. Over the years, the campers gain confidence and are more willing to challenge themselves.