“It’s not can or can’t, It’s do or don’t.”
                —Stephanie Jallen

The Wyoming Area Warriors exercised nearby on the gridiron field, in preparation for their first home game of the season, as 12-year-old Stephanie Jallen prepared to become the recipient of a special check presentation. Earlier, she and her mom walked side by side toward the stadium, quietly discussing what she might say to the team. In August, members of the team had participated in a Lift-a-thon, raising $1,200 to help Jallen in her quest for the 2014 Paralympics in Russia–– as a member of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team.
     “I know what I want to say, but I don’t know how to say it,” she said. “Just be yourself and speak from your heart,” was her mom’s advice.
    Later, the coach signaled to her to come inside the locker room.
    “This is the first game of a new season, and I’m sure that you are excited and nervous,” she began. “Let me tell you, when I’m skiing down a mountain at full speed, I feel the exact same way… I want you to know that I truly appreciate your help. You didn’t have to get up at 4 or 5 in the morning to come here this summer, but you did. I have a goal, and so do you. Tonight, you are here to reach your goal, as I am mine. I want you to go out there and win this game tonight, because we are the Warriors—we are all warriors.”
    Man or boy— there weren’t many dry eyes in that room. The applause and cheers from the players were deafening. Coincidentally, Wyoming Area shut out Nanticoke Area that evening, 41-0.

A Passion for Skiing

 Stephanie Jallen was born with Congenital Hemidysplasia with Ichthyosis and Limb Defects (CHILD) Syndrome, a very rare disease that only affects females. As a result, she has only one full right arm and right leg, but any outward disability has certainly not defeated this young athlete in any way. In addition to an intense passion for skiing, Stephanie played soccer and basketball, and she roller blades, rides ATVs, trampolines, plays hopscotch, swims, climbs trees, and loves to fish.
    At the risk of sometimes being referred to as an overly protective mom, Deb (Gashi) Jallen stated, “Stephanie has taught me not to set limits.”
    “How am I going to know if I don’t try?”
    And try she did… In 2006, she attended her first Winter Ski Clinic at Camelback Ski Resort. There she met her coach Mau Thompson, who was with the NSCD (National Sports Center for the Disabled) Competition Center, in Colorado. Mau immediately recognized talent in Stephanie, and told her that with the right training she could someday make it to the Paralympics.
    “Every year she exceeds my expectations. She is very dedicated and focused on her training. Through her ski training, she has improved her body strength, competitive attitude, traveling skills and communication skills,” said Thompson.
    “What I realized is that all these skills allow her to seek more independence despite her difficult disabilities. She is like a sponge–– whatever I teach her she absorbs the knowledge, retains it and is able to lock into it when she needs it again. This particular skill is very rare for someone her age. It gives her a huge advantage in not only her ski training but also in gaining more and more personal independence,” she added. “She LOVES the freedom of speeding down the hill and because of her cheerful and positive personality she makes everyone around her smile.”
    At first, the Paralympics was not something Stephanie had even considered, but today there is nothing more that she would love to do. To continue with her training, Stephanie travels to Colorado several times a year, in addition to other parts of the country where she works closely with Thompson and some of the best disabled athletes in the world.
    Deb recalled a conversation that she had with her daughter during her first camp in Colorado.
    “She came in after her morning session on the slopes. She seemed discouraged and told me that she kept falling down. She said to me, ‘I don’t know if I can do this— all these people are counting on me,’ and then she cried. At that particular moment, I wondered if Stephanie was up to this challenge. I told her she didn’t have to continue if she didn’t want to— I didn’t want to push her, nor did I want to discourage her. After lunch she said, ‘Mom, do you think I can go back out this afternoon?’ It was that moment that I knew that she can do this.”
    The road ahead will be a long one for Stephanie, involving years of hard work and training, “but, it’s up to Stephanie and how she progresses that will determine whether or not she will make the team,” Deb said. “Stephanie believes in herself, and we believe in her. She has shown determination from the first day she put a ski boot on. However, her education is first and foremost. According to her coach, she cannot move forward without good grades.”
    Stephanie presently maintains an A/B average and tries to work ahead whenever she will be away during the winter months, often bringing assignments with her on the road.
    There are different levels of competition, with Level I being local and national competitions. This will be Stephanie’s fourth season, and her coach feels that she is ready to try Level II, which is international competition. According to Thompson, this is a much more difficult level, involving terrain changes, and a longer course.
    “This is a HUGE turning point for Stephanie,” Deb added.
    Stephanie has attended a series of camps each season since she began skiing in 2006. Each is a five-day training camp, with a race on the weekend. They are the Winter Ski Clinic at Camelback, with the Pennsylvania Adaptive Ski Clinic; Hartford Ski Spectacular, with the Wounded Warriors, in Breckenridge, Colorado, sponsored by (DSUSA) Disabled Sports USA; Wells Fargo Cup, in Winter Park, Colorado, sponsored by the (NSCD) National Sports Center for the Disabled; Adaptive Adventures–– Stars of Tomorrow Youth Ski Camp, in Vail, Colorado; and Diana Golden Race, in New Hampshire/Vermont, sponsored by AIG Insurance Company.
     “Stephanie and I have met many people, including Paralympic champions. This is what motivates Stephanie, and she is an inspiration to many of her competitors,” Deb noted.
    Stephanie’s dad, Mike Jallen, accompanies his family whenever his schedule allows. He recalled his first real pang of fatherly pride.
    “It was in New Hampshire last year. We walked into the lobby and when I looked up, there was a poster with a photo of Stephanie on it— she was skiing. I was, and am, very proud of her.”
    Likewise, Stephanie’s sister, Sarah, 17, takes her turn traveling when their parents are not able to get away. Last season, Sarah spent more than two weeks in Colorado with Stephanie.
     “Sarah works very hard helping her sister, and takes care of her when they are away,” Deb noted. “Sarah also likes to snow board, and their time away is their bonding time–– they cherish those moments coming down the mountain together.”

Stephanie Jallen Paralympic Fund

    An important step forward for Stephanie and her quest for the 2014 Paralympics is the financial ability to continue with specialized training and competition events. A chance meeting between Stephanie and Ki Garzella, with Valley Lodge #499, at her elementary school, paved the way to the club’s involvement in her fund raising efforts. It has since hosted chicken BBQs, a golf tournament, and a block party. A second meeting, this time with Garzella and Bob Wineman, also a member of Valley Lodge #499 and ABATE (Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education), actually laid the groundwork for what would become the Stephanie Jallen Paralympic Fund, a non-profit organization set up on her behalf. Due to their hard work, Stephanie was able buy ski equipment and travel to Colorado in December of 2006 to begin her training for downhill ski racing.
    Wineman also proposed the idea for a motorcycle run for Stephanie two years ago. The 2nd Annual Stephanie Jallen Ride took place in June. Both events were organized on both occasions by Wineman and Deb. This year’s event drew 341 motorcycles, and Wineman is certain that it will draw even more next year. Stephanie and her family are members of three motorcycle clubs: ABATE, Wyoming Valley Motorcycle Club, and Friends of the Forgotten.
     “Stephanie would not be where she is today if it wasn’t for their support, as well as that of the community and volunteers,” Deb said. “We attend as many club meetings as we can throughout the year. Stephanie has bonded with so many of the members and riders now, and she looks forward to going on the runs and to the meetings to see everyone. We support each other.”
     “Bob is so determined to raise funds to help Stephanie. He truly believes in her and she knows it. He has always been there for Stephanie, through thick and thin,” Deb said. “He motivates us to do what needs to be done. Bob has also taught us a lot about giving back to the community as well. There is such a strong bond between all of us, especially Stephanie and Bob. He promised her that he would always be there for her. Bob’s wife Linda also helps us every year, and she supports Bob’s desire to commit to Stephanie’s dream. We are very thankful for that. It’s not hard to see why Bob is Stephanie’s hero.”
    Two other men have assumed important roles in Stephanie’s life. Sid Michaels and Sam Eramo approached Stephanie and her parents at a benefit that they supported last year, explaining that they would like to plan a fund raiser for Stephanie the following year—the Lift-A-Thon, with the Wyoming Area School District Football Association, which was mentioned earlier.
     “She really inspired me,” Eramo said. “I have a lot of experience, and I want to work with her. Our goal, and my goal is to help her get to her dream— Russia in 2014.”
    “A few months later I got a call from Sid asking me to attend a meeting with Atty. Ed Kaushas in Dunmore, along with Vince Cardamone,” Deb said. “So, we met on July 2nd, and agreed that we needed to form a board of directors and file for 501c3 non-profit status for the Stephanie Jallen Paralympic Fund.
    The Fund’s directors are Sid Michaels (president), Vince Cardamone (executive vice president), Bob Wineman (treasurer), Sam Eramo (vice president of development), Deb Jallen (secretary); and board members are Atty. Ed Kaushas, Tom Donahue, Thomas Welby, and Jim Gaughan.

Inspiration

    During my first conversation with Stephanie and a few members of her board, the topic of “inspiration” came into the discussion. It was then that she and her mom shared a special story with me, which Deb later retold for The Independent:
    It was a Saturday morning in September of 2007, and we had just gotten out of church. An article had just run in the paper about Stephanie, which showed pictures of her playing soccer. When she saw it, Stephanie suddenly got quiet and wouldn’t talk. She was at a point in her life where she didn’t know how to handle all of the publicity. Prior to this article, she had been ridiculed and told that she was just doing all of this for attention. It was a very difficult time in her life and she was confused. I, too, wondered aloud if I was doing the right thing by allowing her to be interviewed and displayed for everyone to see her. I just didn’t know how to explain to her that we wanted people to know the wonderful person that she is. Of course, coming from mom it didn’t do much.
    That same day, later in the afternoon, we went to Wal-Mart in Pittston to shop for a few items for her first motorcycle run. I was pushing Stephanie in her wheelchair, and as we proceeded down one of the aisles, a man came running toward us, yelling, “Are you Stephanie Jallen? Are you the little girl in the paper today?” A woman was running behind him, trying to catch up to him. As he approached us, he struggled to get the words out again. He obviously had a speech impediment. “Are you Stephanie Jallen?” Hesitantly, we both said, “Yes.” He then asked me if it was okay for him to talk with her. I cautiously replied with a yes. I realized he was very excited to see her, but at the same time this man was a total stranger. He proceeded to tell Stephanie that he read her story in the paper, that he loved it, and she was a wonderful inspiration to him. He then began to tell us his story. He said he had had brain surgery about a year prior, and that the healing process was very long— a year later, and he still didn’t have his life back. He said that there were days he really struggled. But, after seeing Stephanie’s story and pictures, she had turned his life around. He said that he cut the article out of the paper, pasted it to his refrigerator and looked at it every day to remind him to be strong. He thanked her for being the wonderful person that she is, and wished for her dream to come true as a ski racer. In the meantime, I looked up and saw his wife standing behind him, tears flowing down her face.
    We said our goodbyes, and after they walked away I looked down at Stephanie. She had tears welled up in her eyes, and I said to her, “Stephanie, now doesn’t this make it all worth it?” She replied with a yes as she shook her head up and down, fighting the tears. I sensed the good Lord looking out for her. I cannot even find the right words to explain that moment, but it’s a moment in our lives that we will never forget.
    When all is said and done, following the 2014 Paralympics in Russia, Stephanie’s long-term goal is to continue to build her fund so that she can help other physically challenged children achieve their dreams.
    So, as she moves ever forward in her quest, does this amazing young lady think she can make it to her final destination?
    “In the beginning maybe not, but now with training I have confidence in myself that I can make it,” she said.
    So do we, Stephanie–so do we.