I always find it so empowering when a mom not only keeps up with her passion but also gets her kids passionate about it too. There is something about finding a way to fill your cup and sharing the overflow that is incredibly hard for most mothers, myself included. But some mothers do it totally naturally, and typically when they do, it just means they’ve laid down a foundation they can build upon for the rest of their lives together. That seemed to be exactly what avid snowboarder and mom of six Sandra Prokofi was doing.
Now, Prokofi is fighting for her life after she experienced a freak accident while snowboarding at Keystone Ski Resort in Colorado, reported People. The small business owner has a love of all things outdoors, but snowboarding was her truest passion, according to what Sandra’s younger brother Robert told CBS News Colorado.
“She’s an unbelievable mom. She’s literally a super mom. She does absolutely everything for her kids. They’re so insanely active,” he said. “The kids are always out there, and they’re incredible snowboarders, so they’re just a big part of that community in Keystone and Summit County.”
According to the outlet, Prokofi was snowboarding with three of her boys on December 29, 2025, on the Upper Frenchman Trail when the accident happened.
“One of her kids witnessed the accident, and he’s having a really hard time,” Robert told CBS News Colorado. “She had a helmet and everything she could have had, and it seems she just caught an edge and fell face first. It wasn’t involved with any other ski or snowboarder. It was just her, and it was just a freak accident the way that she landed.”
Keystone Ski Patrol responded to the call that she had been hurt and transported the mom to Keystone Medical Center and then life-flighted her to St. Anthony Hospital.
“Terrifying, the worst thing ever. The doctor called me, the one at Keystone, and he actually broke down crying, and that’s when I knew it was bad,” Robert shared.
On the way to the hospital, he learned his sister had broken her neck and received a spinal injury, so she was paralyzed from the neck down. Currently, she is on a ventilator, and despite multiple surgeries, it is unknown if she will ever be able to breathe without one.
“Every day is a nightmare. Really still haven’t accepted it. It’s really hard,” Robert told CBS News Colorado. “Every day is definitely a fight for her life still…We know that she hears us and she knows we’re there. So I think it’s just critical times to be with her and not leave her alone.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help battle the incoming medical bills and ongoing care that is coming for the beloved mom. So far it’s raised over $107,000 of the $120,000 goal.
On the page, the family provided an update to her condition.
“As of January 7th, Sandra is now on a tracheostomy tube for her ventilation. She is still on full life support. Sandra has a very weak cough which is causing mucus build up and O2 saturation issues,” the page read. “We know this next process of care will be extremely slow but we will try to keep everyone updated with anything new. We continue to thank everyone for their support.”
