WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. – It's the best time of year to lace up the skates. However, getting on the ice can be a tremendous challenge for those with disabilities, especially kids.
Thanks to brothers like Mitchell Batshelett, several of those kids won't be missing out.
Mitchell looks forward to the week of Winter Camp each year because it's more time to bond with this 10-year-old sister, Natalie.
“I have no choice but to be a great big brother or do everything that I can for her just because she's such a blessing," said Mitch.
Natalie was born with cerebral palsy. She's also a huge sports fan.
"I love Tom Brady," said the fourth grader at the Webster Groves Rec Center on Thursday.
But being able to play sports can be a hurdle for Natalie due to her disability, except for times when she's at camps, such as the Winter Camp Independence hosted by St. Louis Children's Hospital every year.
“I think it's been really nice for her," said Mitch, who plays college football for Rhodes College in Memphis. "She's been able to be a kid and play sports.”
Nearly two dozen kids with cerebral palsy have been at Winter Camp Independence this week. It's an adaptive sports camp that's been an annual tradition of the hospital's Hatfield Cerebral Palsy Sports Program since 2003.
And because of volunteers like big bro Mitch, it continues to be a yearly highlight for kids in the St. Louis region.
“This is something they don't always get to do," said Jennifer Miros, Supervisor of Cerebral Palsy Sports and Rehab Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital.
"To bring their self-esteem up, to get them active, to have them realize they can do activities that they may not have thought they could do. That we're able to help them learn how to adapt," she said.
Natalie and Mitch's mother, Julie Fiorelli, agrees that it's a very special time for her daughter and her family.
“It's probably one of the most important things to me," she said. "All these kids are completely normal and they have the same desires and needs that all other kids do.”
And it's easy to tell that Natalie loves the camp, and her brother, as much as anyone.
“He takes care of me," she said. “I love Mitch."
Winter Camp Independence also has a summer sports camp as well. They are always in need of volunteers. If you are interested you are encouraged to contact the St. Louis Children's Hospital's volunteer office here.
Mitch said that the camp experience and his sister have both helped to inspire him to become a doctor.