My Story Till Now
The darkest nights produce the brightest stars.
The darkest nights produce the brightest stars.
My first Camp with Sunnass Foundations. Camp MTB Adapt in Trysil, this was a Camp where focus and most participants were spinal cord injury participants, so here we were only a few who had brain injuries this time. And an incredible experience🫶
August 2025
I have been on camp with the Sunnaas Foundation, Camp MTB adapt 2025.
One word that comes to my mind is incredible, or rather, I don't think I have the words to describe what I feel, but I'll try. First, I would like to say a big thank you to the Sunnaas Foundation, the leaders and the mentors, the health personnel, and others who volunteer and make these Camps possible. They are patient, caring, humble and incredibly helpful, they are the stars that light up, guide us through the camp, so that we, the participants, are lifted up and forward so we gain a sense of mastery, grow and become stronger than we were before we came to the Camp.
When I arrived at Sunnaas Hospital in late November 2024 to begin my rehabilitation journey, I said it was groundbreaking for me, and it really was, and still is, for the camps. I will say it again, it was groundbreaking for me. When I returned home after my stay at Sunnaas Hospital, I was a truly changed person. I felt like life was starting to make sense again. I was ready to fly again, to use the tools and knowledge I had brought home with me. And then I join the Camps.
Camp Mountain Bike (MTB) Adapt is for those who want to start adaptive
mountain biking on three or four wheels. At this camp, you will test out mountain biking in safe surroundings with a support system that helps you out on the trails. Experienced mentors will be there to guide you, give you technique tips and share their experiences about being out in nature on a bike. You will also get help with everything that is bike-related from our experienced helper riders. For example, you will get help if you get a flat tire or fall over while out on a trip and help with transfers to the bike if you need it. If you need assistance with personal care, you must bring someone who can help you with that.
At the camp, you will have the opportunity to test both gravel, trail and downhill cycling. You can try several different bikes so that you know which bike you can buy or apply for. We will do our utmost to ensure that you have access to a bike throughout the weekend. If you already have your own bike, please bring it.
The text is borrowed from Sunnaas Foundation web page
I brought home with me after the Camp, knowledge, and a better understanding of my own situation, Knowledge of my own challenges with balance and the ability to coordinate my movements well enough, a better understanding of my own challenges with Fatigue, the ability to be present among many people in a social gathering.
I got to test my own limits on the bike trails, found out that my brain struggles a lot with the ability to coordinate my movements and balance in Flowtrails.
Built new relationships and friendships with other participants at the Camp.
My first Camp was Camp MTB Adapt in Trysil, t
his was a Camp where focus and most participants were spinal cord injury participants, so here we were only a few who had brain injuries this time.
I was both looking forward to and dreading the weekend in Trysil, I started packing a couple of weeks in advance, figured out what I was going to bring, I was unsure of everything I was packing, was it right, did I have what I needed, what the weather would be like, and not least how I was going to manage this, lots of people, new challenges, how would I deal with this, could I deal with it, how would others look at me, think about me, yes I was terrified in many ways. Friday came and I hoped I was ready, I went to pick up a lady who was going to drive me to Trysil, nice company on the trip, she was a participant but also a mentor in the Sunnaas Foundation, so I got good information from her on the way up.
We arrived in Trysil early on a Friday and will be here until Sunday. The goal was to test our limits on bikes, build a sense of mastery in a safe environment together with leaders and mentors. In addition, there were several suppliers of special bikes for the disabled, and some of us had also brought our own bikes, including myself 😁.
During the weekend I got to test myself in flowtrails in the Trysil bike arena, learned that my head had big problems with the coordination and balance needed to ride flowtrails, but it was incredibly fun to test myself in safe conditions. And being able to help others along the way gave me a fantastic sense of self-worth. I learn a lot from the people I was with, my self-confidence grew by the hour, and when I saw and learned about other people's daily challenges, made me understand that the way I struggle and how I feel is not abnormal, and that when we stand together, we solve most challenges.
The weekend also consisted of social gatherings, where we shared situations, what we had been through, painful and special experiences. We could laugh and cry in a safe environment, comfort each other, build each other up, give a hug, encourage each other, give positive feedback and motivate each other, and create new relationships and friendships. There were many hugs and a few tears for most people when we parted ways and went home that Sunday.
But I went home with a warmth and joy in my heart, with the knowledge that I had become part of a community of people who are in a similar situation to myself.
Yes, I was mentally exhausted the following week. I really felt the fatigue a lot, but now I know why, and I learned that I am not alone struggling with it. It makes it easier for me to accept it and move on, crawl up the stairs, step by step, recharge my batteries in a good way so that I can continue to fight for a brighter future.
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