He stood up, steadied his feet and skied: freedom beyond limitations

Jorge Decastro-Cordeiro downhill skis at the 2025 National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic.

Katie Beall is the Newsroom Chief for VISN 19’s Creative Task Force.

 U.S. Army Veteran Jorge Decastro-Cordeiro stared down the slopes of Snowmass in 2018 as a first-time participant at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic (Winter Sports Clinic). He hadn’t skied since he was stationed in Alaska almost twenty years earlier.  

An Airborne Ranger, Decastro-Cordeiro deployed multiple times to places like Iraq, Kosovo, the DMZ (demilitarized zone) in South Korea, Rwanda, Nigeria and Zaire over his 22 years of service.

In 2010, in Kirkuk, during his fourth combat tour to Iraq, his platoon was attacked on a bridge. His vehicle took the brunt of an IED blast. For at least seven minutes, he was unresponsive, waking to a medic asking, “Sergeant, are you okay?”

Left with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), he remained with his soldiers, receiving treatment on base. The injury triggered severe, chronic headaches and migraines.

Decastro-Cordeiro served six more years, enduring the daily impacts of his TBI and other service-related injuries. In 2016, he retired after 22 years of service, having earned the rank of Sergeant First Class

The start of a new beginning

Eight years after the IED attack, he arrived at his first Winter Sports Clinic. Decastro-Cordeiro was at the height of his struggles with chronic headaches, memory, orientation and balance issues.

“I was creating limitations in my mind,” he said, saying to himself, “You can’t do that.”

After retirement, he received care at VA Palo Alto Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center (PRC), one of five facilities nationwide providing intensive rehabilitative care to Veterans and servicemembers with severe injuries.

Encouraged to attend Winter Sports Clinic by the VA Palo Alto’s recreation therapy team, he made the choice to attend but he doubted his abilities.

His instructors reassured him, promising, “We will guide you.”

By race day, he advanced from using a slider (equivalent to a standard walker attached to skis) to skiing with instructors by his side. He lined up, determined to ski standing for the whole course.

The race began. He stood up, felt the pull of the mountain, steadied his feet in his boots and skied the entire course, his instructors by his side. At the bottom of the mountain, the swell of emotions from his accomplishment hit him and all three hugged in celebration.’

“I cried after the race because I am so grateful for the Winter Sports Clinic,” Decastro-Cordeiro said. “The Winter Sports Clinic changed my life. It provided me the strength and the motivation to continue moving forward.”

Finding the strength and support to heal

Now attending in 2025 for his sixth Winter Sports Clinic, he continues to push his boundaries.

Reflecting on 2018, he said, “I had so many limitations back then. Besides the TBI, I had other mental health difficulties. TBI and PTSD together are like a bomb. It can be very difficult.”

With his wife’s support, he sought treatment for PTSD.

“Brianda was the one person that made me come forward and look for help with PTSD. It was the best thing I did for myself in my life.”

While his injuries persist, he has learned how to navigate them.

“In the last six years, I lost eight friends to suicide—guys who were in the war with me. Guys who were there with me in very challenging situations. They survived the battlefield, and they died at home. I don’t want to just be a number” he said, of the battles he recognizes he doesn’t face alone. “I keep my motivation, my faith and continue to enjoy VA recreational therapy programs.”

Sharing the journey with other Veterans

VA’s Recreational Therapy program and Winter Sports Clinic continue to empower Decastro-Cordeiro. He now rock climbs, fishes, sails, cycles, scuba dives and more. He maintains strong connections with Veterans across the country, and they regularly do buddy checks on each other.

Gesturing to the slopes of Snowmass, he said: “This mountain can heal you. For Veterans who haven’t yet come, you can go further, be more independent and functional with whatever limitations you have.”

Living in Florida, Decastro-Cordeiro remains active with the VA West Palm Beach recreational therapy team. He believes every Veteran should experience the healing, movement and community possible in rec therapy.

“It changed my life in 2018 at my first Winter Sports Clinic. There is healing in sports. They showed me I could do it, and I did! Every year is an improvement, step by step.”

For Veterans considering attending the 40th Winter Sports Clinic in 2026, Decastro-Cordeiro stands by to welcome you: “If you’ve never been, please come and enjoy. You will learn how to overcome your limitations. You will be a new person when you leave this place.”