Left to right: Allison Tarrasch, MPAP, PA-C III, CATCH Program Director, participants Anis and Nick, surf instructor Quinn, and participant Anne-Marie.
Catching Waves: CATCH Surf Program Empowers Kids With Hand Differences to Push Their Limits
“As soon as you feel that wave take you, push your chest up like a cobra, then stand up whenever you want,” the surf instructor, Quinn, explained to four eager kids as they practiced “pop-ups” on their matching surfboards before heading into the water in Marina Del Rey.
For some, this lesson builds on a year of practice with Quinn. For others, it’s their first time. They’re different ages and skill levels, but they’re connected by one key detail: They’re all members of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ Center for Achievement of Teens and Children With Hand Differences Program—CATCH for short. Through mentoring, peer and parent support groups, special events, scholarships, prosthetics, volunteering opportunities, and fun activities like adaptive rock climbing and surfing, CATCH helps kids tap into their resilience, courage, and confidence.
“Every surfer has their own unique style,” explains Quinn, who has been a CATCH surf and rock-climbing instructor for more than a decade. “That’s why I love teaching kids who are physically different. There’s no exact formula to surfing. Adaptation is part of the sport.”
15 years fostering community for those with hand differences
The CATCH program was founded 15 years ago by Nina Lightdale-Miric, MD, Director of the Pediatric Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery Program at CHLA’s Jackie and Gene Autry Orthopedic Center. The program provides a community for children and teens with limb differences, like missing, small, stiff, or weak arms, hands, or fingers.
“Kids with limb differences are often the only ones with those differences in their schools or communities,” explains Allison Tarrasch, MPAP, PA-C III, Director of the CATCH Program.
“These events are brilliant at bringing kids together who deal with similar challenges, and whose differences may even look similar. They can learn a lot from one another in some of our smaller-scale programs.”
Encouraging a “can-do anything” mindset
For 14-year-old Nick, the support of friends in the CATCH program has been a part of his reality his entire life. Born with a rare genetic disorder called nail-patella syndrome, which causes limited range of motion in his elbow joints, he started seeing Dr. Lightdale-Miric at 1 month old, shortly after the program’s inception.
When Nick’s dad’s work moved the family throughout Northern and Southern California, they’d still fly Nick back to L.A. for care from Dr. Lightdale-Miric and team.
“Dr. Lightdale-Miric helped us foster a mindset that anything is possible,” says Nick’s mom, Eileen. “When your kid is born with a limb difference, you immediately start to wonder what the future holds for them and focus on what they won’t be able to do. She helps Nick focus on what he can do—and that’s a lot of things.”
In addition to participating in rock climbing and surfing through CATCH, Nick is also an avid Little League baseball player. He’s even developed a unique pitching method—a pitch he calls, “The Swerve”— that allows him to throw curveballs.
When asked which supports or adaptations empower him on the surfboard, Nick asserts that it’s the encouragement of his fellow CATCH participants and instructors. “Everyone here cheering for me is what helps me out,” he says. He recalls a special moment from last summer’s CATCH Surf Camp with 9-year-old participant and friend Anis. “He was right there when I caught my first wave, and he was just as excited as I was!”
CATCH participants share advice for others
The recurring theme among participants when asked what advice they have for others with limb differences: “Just try.”
“When I was surfing, Quinn told me in my mind to say, ‘I can do this, I can do this, I’m not gonna fail,’” says Anis. “Use sayings like that to encourage yourself.”
“Follow your dreams,” says Nick. “I play baseball and I can do a bunch of other stuff. If you know what you want to do, give it a try, and it will turn out well.”
“Dr. Lightdale-Miric is so much more than a doctor,” adds Nick’s mom, Eileen. “This program does so much to help kids thrive, connect, and realize anything is possible.”
