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STAR Mentor Leads By Example
By Mark Detzer, Ph. D.

The STAR mentoring program (Steps Toward Adult Responsibility) is a collaboration between Dartmouth Community Services at the Tucker Foundation and the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. The program helps teenagers with chronic illnesses transition into adulthood. As director of the DHMC STAR Program for the past five years, I have had the opportunity to observe Dartmouth College students who are living with chronic physical health conditions and disabilities serve as role models to teenagers facing similar life situations. The variety of student and teen personalities, timing, frequency and intensity of time spent together, and the type of illness can all play a role as to whether a particular teen and student successfully "match." Sometimes, in our group activities, there are occasions that transcend all of those variables.

For a number of years we have had STAR teens and Dartmouth students do a ropes course at a local outdoor education center. For both teens and students, helping them to overcome fear and learn to take risk is best done by such activities. Both the teens and Dartmouth students look forward to this activity each year.

I was particularly excited to hear that STAR mentor and Dartmouth ’03 student Carl Burnett, a paraplegic since the age of five would be joining us. I knew from prior experience that there was a trapeze individuals in wheelchairs could use to participate in a few parts of the course, especially the "zip" line, one of the favorite elements.
Upon arriving at the ropes course, I was disappointed to hear that the staff had needed to have a day’s advance warning to set up the trapeze. Having seen the trapeze in action with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis camp, it never occurred to me that advance notice was necessary to set it up, or that it was not a usual piece of equipment of the course. I apologized to Carl, and felt that I had repeated what he must so often experience: Society just isn’t built for those in a wheelchair. I was embarrassed that I hadn’t clarified that with the center.

Carl seemed to take this news extremely well, in fact I saw him starting to eyeball the course. Discussion began, about the possibility of him climbing up by hands only. The center staff was both willing and supportive, and I thought that even his efforts to climb up part of the course would allow him some satisfaction.

Over the next two hours, as teen/Dartmouth student pairs continued to work together and cheer each other on for attempting and achieving success in various elements, Carl had begun and continued to climb the course with his hands. Slowly, carefully, he sized-up each decision point, asking at times for input from the center staff, while never losing sight of his goal.

I noticed a level of effort on the course that day that seemed to inspire risk taking, and success on the course elements by the teens and Dartmouth students, that I had not seen prior nor since in the 15-20 times I have climbed and/or supervised on that course.
While the teens and Dartmouth students started to finish their climbs, the group of us on the ground continued to grow as we watched Carl make steady progress to the top of the course. Could he do it? Could he climb to the top of the course, using just his arm strength? The fears of heights and physical exhaustion that accompany this kind of activity made this climb tough for those of us with arm and leg strength. It didn’t seem possible.

We continued to cheer him on, incredulous at what we were seeing, hopeful that he would make it, but assuming that at some point he would give in and be lowered down, a partial victory.
Carl made it to the top that day. The crowd below cheered long and hard for him, and we all felt the vicarious thrill as he completed the zip line.

As we processed the climb that day, many of the participants spoke about Carl, and how his climb inspired and directed them to climb higher, push harder, and achieve more.

People still talk about it, now a year and half later. In individual contact with teens over time, a number of the teens there that day have brought it up to me, as an example of the choices they have, as they deal with their chronic health condition and disability. Do you dwell on what you can’t do, or do you try and overcome the barriers that the illness/disability place before you? Or do you size up the barriers, and try and climb, and keep climbing?

I realized at this year’s retreat, when we did a mini-golf activity that yet again somehow the student planning team, in all the pre-retreat work forgot to ask about ADL accessibility. As fate would have it, the mini-golf course was built on a hill. Rather than complain, there was Carl again, in his sports wheelchair, climbing up and down the hills, taking it as a challenge, having fun with his golf group, and again being as good a role model for teens with chronic health conditions as we could ever hope for.
How do you convey what a "successful mentor" is?

Words and even pictures don’t adequately tell what an incredible role model Carl has been for his fellow Dartmouth students and the teenagers lucky enough to be with him at those retreats. For all of us including the staff, the picture in our minds of Carl climbing to the top is likely to inspire us for a lifetime. We know that the STAR mentor program has taught our teens and will continue teach our teens to focus on the goal, make good decisions, ask for help when they need it, and most importantly to keep climbing.