Month: January 2026

CNN Newsource

Originally Published: 19 JAN 26 13:53 ET

By Amy Nay

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    SNOWBIRD, Utah (KSTU) — A Draper woman living with multiple sclerosis has reached new heights thanks to a local group.

“It is a great feeling. I mean, it just wipes out the whole feeling you have about yourself as being somebody who can’t do anything,” said Maggi Welliver, 75, after skiing for the first time with the help of Wasatch Adaptive Sports.

“When I first started with them,” Welliver said, “I started cycling, and then when winter came, my instructor, who I trust with my life, said we need to go skiing, but I said, ‘Uh, I’ve never been a big skier.’”

Her trust in the instructors and what she calls her new family she found at the nonprofit gave her the confidence to try and to discover a sense of freedom she hadn’t felt in years.

“I’ve been in a wheelchair for … over 20 years, and what I have is chronic progressive multiple sclerosis,” Welliver said. “So slowly I’ve been getting to this position in my life. And it’s OK, it’s OK,” she said, describing a gradual decline since her diagnosis three decades ago.

Wasatch Adaptive Sports connects people with physical disabilities to adaptive outdoor programs. They were able to expand offerings this season after a $100,000 donation match from Utah outdoor brand KUHL helped the nonprofit reach a $500,000 fundraising goal. That support, Welliver said, made experiences like skiing at Snowbird and reaching the top of Hidden Peak possible for people who might otherwise never try. It was Welliver’s daughter who encouraged her to look into ‘WAS’ and what they offered.

“What made it really special is I was able to ski with my daughter, and she just cried and said never in her wildest dreams thought she’d be on the slope with me, so now I want to ski with everybody,” Welliver said.

On the slopes, she said she doesn’t feel defined by her disability.

“I don’t feel disabled. I feel able to do most anything I want to do. It’s just different,” she said, adding that adaptive skiing has changed her perspective.

“It just really opens you up to feel good about yourself,” she said. When asked why that matters, Welliver replied, “It’s pretty important because it’s easy to fall into ‘poor me’ and give up.”

She urged others in similar situations to take the first step.

“It doesn’t cost you anything. You just have to step out and take advantage of it,” she said. “Just try it. I mean, it’s scary, but you can do it.”

Her advice for anyone starting is simple: “Start slow and just keep building on that. You can do it, and it’s all about accommodations and that’s life. It’s just what you do in life.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

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CNN Newsource

Originally Published: 19 JAN 26 13:55 ET

By Mya Constantino

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    OREM, Utah (KSTU) — Nearly every month, a group of Utah men come together in an unexpected place to talk about mental health while building connections and finding support.

We all need someone to lean on. For men across the state, that’s exactly what they’re finding once a week inside the Costco food court in Orem.

“Like, in my darkest moments and things when I’ve been sad, they’re just there to listen,” said Jaxon Smith, the group’s organizer. “It’s something that men don’t have an outlet to where they can express their emotion or feel like they won’t be judged.”

Smith started the Men’s Mental Health Community Club two months ago, continuing a tradition of hanging out at the food court with his friends a couple of times a week, just to hang out.

“The idea just popped in my head of let’s just invite everybody, and let’s get all the boys together,” Smith explained.

Now, the club is a space for men of all ages to get together, eat, and share stories.

“Just creating a low-pressure environment where you can open up about feelings, if you want to, but really you’re there just to connect,” said Smith.

Jaxon said creating a space like the Men’s Mental Health Community Club matters.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis of 2022 survey data found that 26.1 percent of men said they lack social or emotional support compared to 22.3% of women. The CDC added that as of 2023, men are about four times as likely to die by suicide compared to women.

Luke Christensen is a member of the Costco group, showing up to deal with the stresses of school and deadlines.

“When you’re in a group, and you feel included, then it’s easy to just feel welcomed and have that sense of belonging,” Christensen shared, “and that can really help soothe the stress.”

Although the group started at Costco, Smith plans to take it to other locations across Utah.

“People want to help make a change and help men understand that it is OK to show emotion,” said Smith, “and that you’re not any less of a man if you do.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Click here to follow the original article.