True Friendship: They Carried Their Disabled Friend Around The World

True friendship often means making sacrifices to meet the needs of someone we love.

In this case, the miracle of true friendship can be found in 29-year-old Kevan Chandler and his friends Tom Troyer, Philip Keller, Benjamin Duvall and Luke Thompson.

When this group of American friends were planning to spend their vacation in Europe, they decided to leave Kevan was not an option. After all, traveling the world had been his dream.

True friendship made dreams come true

Kevan Chandler is a writer who suffers from spinal muscle atrophy, a painful degenerative disease that results in muscle weakness and inability to walk.

Although this disease has deprived him of some physical qualities, it did not remove his desire to see the world and experience adventures in new places.

Normally, Kevan gets around in a wheelchair, but there are certain places he cannot reach.

This was no problem for his group of friends, who decided to build a custom-made backpack and an upholstered seat for Kevan. They carried him all the way and took turns carrying the 35-pound frame.

The first adventure was in 2015, when his friends were planning a trip to North Carolina.

Because of his condition, Kevan thought he could not join them. But his friends had a different idea. They put him in a backpack and took him with them to explore the world.

The first trip was a success so they wanted to go further afield. They decided to go to Europe, a place where Kevan could see things he thought he would never see.

They visited castles, catacombs, monasteries and forests.

Overcome obstacles to achieve your dreams

Kevan’s friends did not think that his muscular dystrophy should make his dreams smaller or bigger than other people’s dreams.

So in addition to designing a backpack for Kevan and planning to carry everything he needed to survive, they set up a fundraising campaign through GoFundMe.

This is how they managed to raise the money needed to carry out their great adventure.

They also documented their trip on the We Carry Kevan blog and an Instagram account (WeCarryKevan) where you can see photos from all their travels.

In addition, they plan to produce a documentary with stories from their experiences.

What they learned from their adventures

This group of friends went on a trip through Europe and experienced amazing places in England, France and Ireland.

Kevan wanted to see places that would normally be inaccessible to him. Over the course of 19 days, they traveled through Europe and saw beautiful landscapes, mountains, incredible cities and magical sunsets.

Not everything was easy because they had to prepare physically to carry Kevan’s weight. And he had to give up his independence in the wheelchair and trust his friends.

Kevan says it’s not just about him, but about the whole group. For him, it is extremely important to have support and know that every challenge, achievement and even failure has given him the courage to come up again.

“Every step of the way, I have had my family, my friends and God. This is where my strength comes from (everyone’s strength!).

I hope I will also give them strength, for that is the meaning: to give courage and strength to one another. Join us. This is life lived together. We all become stronger and braver together, ”  reflects Kevan.

A source of inspiration

With the incredible story of this journey and beautiful friendships, Kevan aims to be a source of inspiration for other disabled people around the world.

He wants them to recognize that there is nothing like an unattainable dream or obstacles that cannot be overcome.

The story of Kevan Chandler and his friends definitely demonstrates the value of friendship.

It also teaches us that perseverance, a positive attitude and willpower can help us overcome all difficulties and achieve our dreams.