Podcast Episode 201
Kelly Liggett: Well, thanks for coming tonight. We are No Barriers and we envision a world where barriers don't stand in the way of possibilities. Our mission is to cultivate a mindset in people affected by disability to break through barriers and elevate their lives and their communities.
The core tenet of No Barriers is what's within you is stronger than what's in your way.
So first, Erik Weihenmayer, Erik, So if you don't know Erik, Erik is a world famous adventurer and he has summited Mount Everest and the tallest peak on all of the continents and he kayaked the Grand Canyon, which I think is the craziest thing. And he also co founded No Barriers.
We're super happy to have him here tonight. We have Kara and Alice, who are here with us tonight. When Kara was five years old, she was struck, , by an out of control skier, which caused a traumatic brain injury and left Kara legally blind and mostly paralyzed one side of her body. And Alice is here. , Alice and her late husband Jim took on the challenge of helping Kara to relearn as much as she could and really live independently, which you're gonna learn about in this film, which is super cool. Alice is Is a little bit of a rock star herself, , has really took finding assistive technology into her own hands.
And in the process became a pioneer in the use of technology to help people with traumatic brain injuries, uh, lead successful and self sufficient lives. We're gonna watch Kara, Star of the World. We're going to have some questions with Erik and a chance for you all to ask some questions.
Fog floats over a forest of evergreen. A group of hikers climb.
Let's go Kara! Let's go Kara! Let's go Kara!
In a red jacket and cap, Kara slumps against others beside her. Tall grass is wet.
My finger! My finger!
They walk in mud. The fog lies low to the ground.
My ankle! My ankle! My ankle! My ankle! You wanna keep on charging?
No. Yeah! No! How do you want people to remember you? Kara's the great star of America. Not the world, just America? Whatever the world is. Thankfully, Kara's the great star of the world. Go, yes.
Titles appear. Kara, star of the world. On a sunny day, Kara has a dog on a leash and walks down a wide street in Glenwood Springs. The red cliffs rise in the distance. In a town center, Kara leans on a cane and spins and dances with a woman in a pink shirt and pants and cap. Erik Weihenmayer, founder of No Barriers.
Kara's mom, Alice, originally reached out to me to share her passion around adaptive technology to, you know, solve problems for people with disabilities to help them live more independently. To I'm really impressed by all the things that Alice set up to help Kara live on her own. I mean, it's really simple, but it totally works. She set up a whole series of voice prompts that play throughout the day to remind Kara to do things like walk the dog, to brush her hair, even to make coffee.
In a bright home with wood floors, Kara pours water in a dog's dish.
Kara, Cause the best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup.
It's a beautiful system that enables somebody who has very little sense of time, date, schedules to live independently.
Alice Brouhard
she's paralyzed on the left side. No use of her left hand or arm. She kind of can fling it around a bit. Um, her left leg is paralyzed. She's legally blind. She only has half vision in both eyes.
Are you about done getting dressed so you can make it a great day?
She never gained the ability to read or tell time or manage money, except she'll take a 20 bill over a 5 bill.
A note on her dresser. What's within you is stronger than what's in your way. What do people think about when they meet you?
I'm just different but unique in my own way, yes, uh huh. Hmm.
She was right at my side when she got hit. She was five and a half years old. I'll never forget that moment.
It was some, you know, bluebird day, just gorgeous. Wanted to ski that last run of the day. Kara was getting tired, so she and Jim sat, sat down in the snow.
She was sitting, she was eating some snow, and then, boom. She was hit on the right hand side. Um, stopped breathing immediately. Her, her little skull was shattered. The, the young man that hit her, his ski, his ski actually broke on her head. So, Jim and I were like paralyzed. We did not know what to do. We were just in such shock.
And then um, Brenda, a little 17 year old lifeguard at the Hot Springs pool, and she skied up and, and she and Jim together started the mouth to mouth resuscitation. By the, pretty much by the time we got down, the helicopter was there. You know, I just, we just didn't know. She was so little. I kissed her goodbye because they wouldn't let us go with her.
And I didn't know if I'd ever see her again.
She wipes her red eyes.
But she made it.
Yeah, I try not to think about it. Scariest, one of the scariest times of my life.
Jim carries a lot more than me of, of guilt and blame. He, you know, he said I should have, we should have gotten up, we should have sat down, I wish it had never happened. He's blamed himself for a long time.
I remember when the neurosurgeon came down the hall to talk to us, he said, I would not have done anything unless I thought she had a chance at some sort of quality of life. I mean, after 35 years, that still is like, I mean, that gave me so much hope. Gave me hope. You know, the two months, the surgeries, the ventilator, the, you know, relearning everything was, yeah, it was tough. You know, even though I was a nurse and Jim was a nurse, we never ever had a clue how difficult it was for people with traumatic brain injuries to recover. The hours and hours of therapy and time and no guarantees of what the final outcome would be. would be told to put her on a waiting list for a group home. And I think Kara is probably nine or ten years old when she was like, I'm not doing that. I want my own life. I want my own house when I grow up. Alice has also built a team of caregivers that can help Kara so that she can live on and be independent after Alice is gone.
Helmet up.
What's your favorite thing about riding blocks? He goes where I want him to go, and he does what I want him to do.
You might assume that Kara lives a life of dependence and neediness, but she actually has a lot of freedom. Have I told you about my dog Tucker? No! He is like so brand new, I swear. I was thinking that must be something new. Uh, yes.
A small peach colored house with a porch.
What kind of things does your mom do for you? She pushes me too darn far. Why does she do that? To accomplish what I need to do. How does that make you feel when she pushes you? Like a rock star.
I heard that Kara really wanted to do a climb, and then I heard her goal was to climb the mountain where she was injured. I really wanted to be there. In some ways I know that Kara will always be that little girl who was hit on the ski slope, but Alice told me there are times when Kara understands things in a way that would surprise me.
What will you think about when you get to the place where the accident happened? The way things used to be and should have been and what it is to become.
Early morning, 6. 14, in the rain.
I'm a great person and I just would like to hop out of bed and make it a great day. Now! Where is my monkey? Right here. Kevin's right here. So I was crying out for a long time.
A red stuffed monkey lies on a blanket. Her mom ties her shoes. Why?
Because Jesus died down to kiss me. He did? Uh huh, yeah. Well, I know she's going to have moments where, I can't, I can't, I can't. And we'll have to go, yes you can, yes you can. And then she'll just be, she'll be so proud when she's done. Kara looks at a cross. Dear God, please help us up the hill and down the hill as soon as possible. There.
Driving through the foothills.
Have you been training all summer for this again? Do they make you go hiking regularly to get in shape? I don't know. Good. We're gonna go kick this mountain right in the ass. I don't care. What the hell happens up there? Hi.
Hikers gather in the ski resort parking lot.
How are you? Nice to meet you.
I'm overwhelmed. By the rope team, by everybody here. Erik, Skyler, I can't thank you guys enough for what No Barriers has brought, has brought to our life. And I, and I, I thank all of you. And I'll probably be crying on the hill, I'm surprised I'm not bawling now, but I'm glad I'm not, so. Applause Get ready! Yes!
They start up a gravel path. I fell a raindrop!
When you organize a project like this, you're hoping for a spectacular day. That's not what we got.
Do what we can do, yeah? Yeah, just put one foot in front of the other.
But in a way, it kind of fits. Kara was hurt on a beautiful sunny day. And after that, her life changed.
Alice supports Kara on the way up. They slug through mud.
Ow! Ow! Do you need something to eat? It's like the nacho rules. All these milk duds are stuck together. So it counts as one milk dud. Well, so what? I want to go back.
When you have a brain injury, often you lose your filter. And in Kara's case, her filter is out the window. No matter what St. Louis says, I hear you. Love you, Kara. You're the same to me, La Jolla.
We all have a tug of war going on between the pain of the moment and these deeper aspirations.
The difference is we hide it. Kara screams it. It's almost like Kara is all our inner voices, saying, I hate this shit.
So I'm going to just do it how I hope. Your arm a little bit, try and tuck your butt in. Oh, it is, you bitch! What? Did you say that word? Carol, I'm shocked. How you feeling? Fine indeed, uh huh. It's hard. Go, you stupid ass dog, there. That's it.
Sometimes the things Kara says are downright hilarious. Even without her injury, I think she'd still be sassy.
Uh, uh, electrical wires, give me a break. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Yeah, yeah, let's hike, let's hike up the electrical wires. Ah, let's go. Ah, let's go. Maybe not. Uh, I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. When are we ever going down? How about this, every time you say I hate it, I'll say I love it. No, okay, I won't. Okay, I won't do that.
It's really hard to listen to Kara in pain, wanting to turn back. But I wouldn't be here unless I thought she truly wanted this.
You, you wanted to go there, okay? And you're so close. Do you have it in you? Yes. Okay. Let's just do it. Yeah. Yep. Almost there. I can see it. And then you can cuss and stamp and scream or or just celebrate. Just throw up and help! Zip a dee doo dah. Zip a dee ay. My, oh, my, oh, my. What a wonderful day. What a wonderful day. Had my way, and it can be a day in the life, it can be a day in the life. Yeah. You made it. This is pretty much where everything happened for you. You and dad, you were skiing, and you sat down, and you were eating snow, and you were laughing, and well, dog gone it, those skiers came just way too fast. Uh huh. How dare you? Just how dare you? Yep. Yep. Yep. Do you want to beat the ground or anything? I will. Give me that. Yeah. Just beat the ground. Let it out. Let it out. Yep.
Kara smacks her cane on the wet mud.
Ah, you! Yep. Let it out. Ah, you! Aw.
Who says we don't have the guts in us to find her? We do. I think you have more guts than almost any person I've ever known. Really? Yeah. You have more courage inside of you than I have. You have way more. And I am so proud of you, and I love you so much. And I'm so, I'm so proud to be your mother. She embraces Kara, who rests her head on her shoulder.
Kara, this is my own personal No Barriers flag. Really? Yeah. Oh, wow. Will you take it as a gift? Yes, uh huh, yeah. It's probably upside down and backwards. There you go. It's all wet and dirty. It's been to a lot of summits, and I want you to have it today, because I respect the hell out of you. How do you feel? Like I have accomplished a barrier. Yes. Yes, you have. You've accomplished a huge barrier.
The group of 20 hikers pose
Let's get the hell off of this mountain now, I swear. In here, oh yeah. Kara, you are tough as nails.
My life is pretty different from Kara's. We have different barriers. We have different achievements. But I do understand what it's like to be inside that prison and have no idea how to break out. You feel invisible. You have these deeper yearnings and aspirations. She has all that.
They reach the bottom of the mountain.
Hey Kara, how are you feeling? Like I could jog a mile and a half! Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Every parent, I swear, said, I could not have done what you've done. I could not have had a child. Who was normal and then not be normal. So many parents have said, I would rather know from the beginning and not have, you know, that little taste and then have it taken away. I love her so much. The way she is now. But, it's a grief. It's a, it's a loss. Yeah, we made good memories. We made a good foundation. And I think that foundation is what has carried her.
You guys did it!
I just feel like she's made a big difference in a lot of people's lives. They see the perseverance that she's had. Just being out in the community, just showing people that, Hey, I belong, I'm here, I'm part of where we live.
She's just not afraid of life.
Missed out on a lot of her normal life.
I mean, she's had her own life, and she's a very special woman.
How proud are you? Choked up. Are you choked up? You're choked up? Are you going to cry? No.
I know Jim and Alice struggled with what Kara's life would look like, whether it all be worth it, but she has drive, and she has personality, she has community, and she has love.
Love you. Love you. Love you. Mm hmm. Yeah. But should we eat? What the heck with it, let's go eat, huh? Ready? Okay.
Anything you want to tell people when they see the video? Hmm. Just that I am who I am. Hmm. In
loving memory of Jim Brohard, he was and will forever be my hero, Kara.
Erik Weihenmayer: Thanks guys. Thanks Alice. Thanks, Kara. So that was a really emotional film. I got tears running down my eyes. Kara, do you remember that day? What kind of emotions does it bring forth in you?
Alice Brouhard: Yeah. Zig, Zig z. What is, yeah? Does that mean happy or happy? Does that mean happy, sad, happy, sad. Happy, happy, happy. Sad. Yeah.
Erik Weihenmayer: Yeah. How about you, Alice?
Alice Brouhard: Well, I, I haven't seen that for a while, and I was like you. I was having to choke back tears. More than just a little bit. And I guess the other thing is, um, Kara's dad, who's in that film, passed away three years ago, pretty much, pretty much next week.
It'll be three years since my husband's passed.
Kara Brouhard: How long since David's passed?
Alice Brouhard: And your boyfriend, David, died a while ago, too. So for me, just seeing Jim speaking and talking and sharing was Um, that, that was, that's kind of, that kind of got me right in the gut. But happy that, that we have that, that part of him.
Erik Weihenmayer: Kara, I couldn't tell from the film. That was kind of a miserable day. Do you like hiking?
Kara Brouhard: Yes.
Erik Weihenmayer: And so this film shows all these cool activities that you do. You make jewelry. You built, don't you bake cookies for the fire department? You ride horses. You've got a killer dog.
Kara Brouhard: Yeah.
Erik Weihenmayer: You have a very full life. So what's your favorite activity?
Kara Brouhard: Baking.
Erik Weihenmayer: Baking. Yeah. Your day is action, it's more full than my day.
Kara Brouhard: Uh huh.
Erik Weihenmayer: Yeah. So Alice, you don't, love the word, caregiver, I understand. That's not your favorite word. I, and I agree, like, the, you built this incredible life, you two, um, that's so rich and, and full of love and community as we just saw.
But I would call you, Alice, more of a door opener. It kind of harkens back to, like, my memories of my childhood. My parents, I called them the broom and the dustpan. You know, because my dad would sweep me out into the world and I'd get shattered into a million pieces. And then my mom would pick up the pieces and rebuild me.
And then my dad would sweep me out again. And, and, and, it seems like you've just created this incredible life. So how do you see your relationship?
Alice Brouhard: You know, I, I think Kara has so much strength in her. It's incredible that I've seen everything she can accomplish. And I don't see myself being so much as a caregiver because she's her own unique person and definitely has her own life.
I see myself just being a support to the person that she is. I don't like the term caregiving. To me it's like, it diminishes people that they need care, they need support to live the best life that they can live. That's, that's just how, that's just how I view it, kind of like. the broom and the dustpan routine.
Just, yeah, just give the, give the person that support they need. They don't need lots of care. Just put the right supports in place to let them to have the life that they want, like Kara has.
Erik Weihenmayer: How has your relationship changed? Because obviously, as, as Kara, you grow up, right? Your mom has a different role in your life, right? So how has that relationship evolved?
Kara Brouhard: Very good.
Alice Brouhard: We butt heads sometimes, too. We're both strong, independent women, so we're known to butt heads more than once. So, yeah. Yeah. But again, for me, as far as my relationship with Kara, I just see the unique, loving, giving, independent person that she is, and I'm grateful that... as you know, I've done a lot with technology.
I'm grateful that technology has come to the point where she can have an independent life. It's just been, it's been a game changer for, for us and for so many people.
Erik Weihenmayer: Yeah. And I can't remember, how did you guys get connected with No Barriers? What was your first experience?
Alice Brouhard: Ironically, it was Colorado Mountain College again. You had come to Glenwood to do, um, to do an event to talk about a book. And you had brought the gear that you had worn at Mount Everest. And it was hanging in the hallway and Kara looked at the gear and she said, I want to wear that and I want to do that someday.
And I'm like, Okay, I'm not sure how that's going to happen, but maybe we'll start and give Erik a call and see what the next steps are.
Erik Weihenmayer: Yeah, I don't know. It might be getting too old to be climbing Everest, but I'll take you up there someday, Kara. And so, Alice, you have become kind of an expert in this arena because you're so innovative in terms of these cool technologies that you guys have created.
You speak at conferences all the time, with other caregivers and other disability organizations and support groups and so forth. What advice do you have for people in the audience who maybe are support givers, uh, who are trying to create that relationship, that partnership like you have with Kara and your community?
Alice Brouhard: You know, I guess to me it goes back to looking at yourself as more of a support and looking beyond yourself to what, what, what could be available to support the person that you that you want to help live a more independent life. , I, I found an iPad and two apps. It literally changed Kara's life. And, um, between that and other, other technologies that, that we've worked with, um, I, I just see it opening, can open the doors for so many people to be way more independent.
Erik Weihenmayer: Yeah, and we're so have, glad to have your expertise and that, and, and you too in the No Barriers community. You know, one of the tenets we talk about at No Barriers is this idea of alchemy. We talked about rope team, but alchemy is another really important one, which is trying to take the lead of life and turning it into gold in some way, trying to take struggle and turning it into, you know, wisdom, empathy, uh, connection, love, right?
And, and you guys have done that. I know that you would never wish, you know, this brain injury, right, uh, Kara? But, but, there are some hidden gifts. And do you want to say what maybe some of those gifts may be in your mind.
Alice Brouhard: Yeah, I guess I want to talk about I want to talk about rope team a little bit Yeah, because um, I see the no barriers vision of a rope team being so critical. You know, we all always talk about it takes a village which it does take a village, but to me the rope team is so much more intimate the rope team or the people that you depend on to get you up the mountain. They're the ones that are going to catch you if you fall. So I think that that you know Developing a rope team to me makes so much more sense than it takes a village.
I mean, I, I trust the people that hiked with us that day. Talk about a rope team coming out in a deluge to hike with us. They had our backs and, you know, a village is good, but we need that rope team. We definitely need those people that are going to be there no matter what. And as far as alchemy, um, I guess when I watch this, I always think about what might have been. I say that freely that Kara, I love you with all my heart, with all my soul, and I'm so proud of you, but I always think about what might have been. And from coming, what might have been, a strength inside myself, inside my husband, that alchemy that I think you talk about, I would never have been able to envision myself standing in front of 200 and 300 people talking about Kara, talking about the things that we've done to help her live an independent life.
So I guess that's the alchemy, because I'm basically a pretty shy person, and pretty much keep to myself, but the alchemy is that, Kara, you've pushed me to do things that I never thought that I could do, to help you, and to hopefully help other people.
Erik Weihenmayer: You certainly have. You both have. And you know, I guess one of the challenges, I'm showing these two films of you, Kara, climbing the mountain, Melissa climbing her mountain, is that you get this idea that living this No Barriers life is about heroic feats of climbing mountains, but that's not it at all, right? Like, what about the small steps?
What about the small pieces of life, that you guys have built that have, that really constitute such a beautiful and rich life?
Alice Brouhard: Like, what are, yeah, what are some of the, what are the, some of the smaller things that you've done? Um, just.
Kara Brouhard: Beading.
Alice Brouhard: Yeah, making bracelets. Uh huh. Getting up off the couch.
Kara Brouhard: Going to care.
Alice Brouhard: Volunteering at the, at the animal shelter. Uh huh. You had your trail mix prisonist, she sold trail mix at the farmers market for 10 years in Glenwood, that was in the film. And last year she said, that is it, I have hit the wall. So I had to respect that, you know, she was, but the ironic thing is all, all last summer when we would go out in the community, people would say, Kara, I was planning on buying your trail mix this summer.
Why aren't you at the farmer's market? So that made me, yeah, yeah. That made me feel really good.
Kara Brouhard: One man was so nasty to me at the hot springs pool. He was. He said now Kara. Are you still making your trail mix? I was like no, and then he turned nasty.
Alice Brouhard: Oh, well, they people loved your trail mix. We didn't know how much they loved it, until you, until you hit the wall. Uh huh. Yeah
Erik Weihenmayer: Well, nobody nobody in this audience will be nasty. Everybody will probably want to buy your jewelry.
Kara Brouhard: Yeah, I'm not allowed to see him ever again. That's it.
Alice Brouhard: Yeah, you don't you don't have to so, you know and I guess the other thing because, because It's where we live and, and just in general, I have such a strong feeling that people with abilities, as Kara says, all need to contribute to their community.
We all have strengths and gifts and talents within us that we can contribute to others, whether it be making trail mix or baking cookies for a policeman and fireman. Everyone has the ability to contribute in some way, shape or form to the community, no matter what their abilities are.
Erik Weihenmayer: And you guys certainly have. Thank you so much, and let's bring some audience questions in. Thank you.
Audience: Hi Kara. I have some questions for you all. Hi Kara, my name's Krista. I like to bake as well, and I'd like to know what your specialty is.
Kara Brouhard: Banana bread.
Erik Weihenmayer: Yeah. I want to taste some of that someday, when I head up to Glenwood. Yeah. Thanks Krista, who else?
Melissa Simpson: Um, this is kind of on the personal side, and you guys don't have to answer to this, um, if you guys don't want to, but I was wondering if she was wearing, if Kara, you were wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, or were you just wearing a hat, or how, how in the did the skier just come up and hit your helmet and it shattered or how did that work?
Alice Brouhard: Yeah, no, Melissa, I'm happy to answer that. Kara is, was injured quite a while ago and it was almost in the era before we started wearing helmets. Her injury has been over 35 years ago and, um, and we just didn't wear helmets. No, no one did at that point in time. And I'm glad skiing has evolved that people do. That they do wear helmets now. The young, it was a group of young men. Five young men skiing. One of them is the one that hit her. None of them had helmets on either.
Erik Weihenmayer: Thanks Alice. We just talked about the idea that a no barriers life doesn't really mean doing big things. But you guys continue to do big things. Skyler, do we have, Kara's latest adventure on the screen? Pop that up.
You guys might be a little blown away. Can you see your house? Is She flying through the air, Alice?
So Kara's paragliding? Is that paragliding? Is that what that's called? Yes.
Erik Weihenmayer: Was that scary, or was it fun, or was it both?
Kara Brouhard: It was a little bit of both.
Alice Brouhard: As a mom, I did not go up to the top of the mountain with her. I waited below. I thought, I cannot watch her get pushed off the mountain. There's no way.
Erik Weihenmayer: How about a few more questions from the audience?
Alice Brouhard: Hello, this is Penn Street, and um, thank you for the beautiful film. I've seen it before too, and it always makes me cry. So, the two of you have come up with this amazing system with this technology. Do you guys share this information and this system that you guys have created together? And if so, how can we access what you're doing?
Before COVID, I did a lot of traveling and spoke throughout the different places throughout the country at conferences and things. I just did a webinar about two weeks ago for a group in Arkansas on accessibility on the iPhone. Just Google me and I'm happy to share information. I have handouts and I just love to talk to people about the two apps that we use.
Alice Brouhard: We use Alexa a lot. Alexa is a very good friend of Kara's right now. I just use mainstream technology and I, yeah, I'm happy to share, share what I know.
Erik Weihenmayer: Kelly, you want to come back up and talk about No Barriers?
Kelly Liggett: We've got some programs that are specifically for family caregivers. We also have programs for people with disabilities. Youth with disabilities to come with their family and veterans with disabilities And so it'd be really great if you're interested in participating in a program to check that out. We also have a podcast you can subscribe to it's hosted by Erik. We have a newsletter you can sign up for. And last but not least, No Barriers is a non profit organization, so we do raise money, to pay for all the things that we do. So, if you're so inclined today, or at any other point in time, we would love for you to make a donation of any amount. Every little bit helps.
And thanks again to Tiffany and the Brewability team and Damian and the PASCO group, and everybody else for coming out tonight. Super, super fun Thursday.
Erik Weihenmayer: And as I finish every podcast, no barriers to everyone. Thank you.
