Disabled children go surfing on Long Island

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Surf's up at Skudin Surf in Long Beach where patients at the Hospital for Special Surgery spent the day on the sand. And it is just as special for the parents as it is for the kids.

Many of the kids are paralyzed on land, but in the water they're just like everyone else. Cerebral palsy didn't stop Alexandria Vega from catching the big one. She said this was her first time surfing on a surf board instead of a boogie board.

A lot of the kids see doctors or physical therapists throughout the week so this is a nice break from that to get their body moving in a different way.

"The beauty here is that they're free," said Siobhan Clarke, a physical therapist at HSS. "They don't have their crutches, they don't have their walker, they can breathe."

Skudin Surf owner Cliff Skudin said, "The ocean is so healing and it really brings that joy."

The joy makes it a little easier for kids and their families dealing with a disability.