Born without a tibia in her left leg, doctors decided to amputate below the knee when Kelsey Koch was 9 months old to improve her mobility later in life. Always an active child, the amputation eventually caused a curvature in her spine. When she was 22, her trainer suggested practicing yoga to alleviate her scoliosis and back pain.
“Yoga makes you work both sides of your body. I’m so dominant on my right side, so I first started yoga to hopefully strengthen out my left side.” (Self magazine story)
Hiking has been a passion for Brooke Artesi for over 15 years – ever since her boyfriend (now husband ) Steve took her to the Bear Mountain portion of the Appalachian Trail. She fell in love with the exhilaration of the hike and the welcoming shelters along the way. In 2015, Brooke completed the 20 mile AT hike on the Shawangunk Trail in less than 8 hours, fast walking all the way. Her ultimate goal is to someday complete the entire trail – all 2,166 miles through 13 states! In the meantime, she hikes as often as possible, being a mother of 2, wife, and owner/Chief Prosthetist & Orthotist of Sunshine Prosthetics and Orthotics in Wayne NJ.
On March 25th, Brooke Artesi, CPO/LPO and owner of Sunshine P&O, will lead an adaptive hike on the Beginner’s Loop of Pyramid Mountain in Montville NJ. Hiking is a challenging and rewarding sport for everyone – yes, EVERYONE! There are trails which are adaptive; they may have asphalt paths or boardwalks, low gradients, trained guides – check out these resources to find adaptive trails : 