Edward M. Kennedy “Teddy Kennedy, Junior” spent his childhood on ski slopes with his father Senator Ted Kennedy and other members of the boisterous Kennedy clan. At the age of 12, Teddy was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, which led to the surgical amputation of his right leg. News of the child’s amputation reignited public discourse about the Kennedy family curse, but months after his operation the handsome boy appeared on the slopes of Vail with a single ski on his leg and a big smile on his face. The images of Teddy skiing on one leg, with the aid of outrigger poles, helped to raise awareness about adaptive skiing possibilities for people with disabilities.
Teddy, who prefers the term “physically challenged”, later became a medal-winning member of the U.S. Handicapped Ski Team and a disability advocate attorney. His daughter Kiley is a competitive snowboarder.
More information about adaptive skiing is available at Park City’s world-renowned nonprofit National Ability Center. I will be writing about the NAC in a separate post.
Click on the image below to read People Magazine’s 1974 article about Teddy Jr. and his ski instructor Blair Ammons, who specialized in ski instruction for amputees.
