The Friendship Made Them Travel The World With Their Disabled Friend

Thanks to the perseverance of his friends and their determination, Kevan Chandler, 29 years old and suffering from muscular atrophy got to know places which, because of his illness, were inaccessible to him.

Often times, true friendship is defined as the sacrifice we make to supplement the needs of someone we value.

In this case, the miracle of friendship is perfectly portrayed between 29-year-old Kevan Chandler and his friends Tom Troyer, Philip Keller, Benjamin Duvall and Luke Thompson.

When this group of friends from the United States imagined spending their vacation in Europe, they refused to leave their friend Kevan Chandler behind. Indeed, traveling was the dream of his life.

His friends decided that nothing could stand in the way of Kevan’s dreams

Kevan Chandler is a writer who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, a degenerative disease that, in addition to causing pain, debilitates muscles and makes it impossible to walk.

Although this disease deprived him of certain physical faculties, it did not take away from him the desire to know the world and to experience adventures in new places.

Kevan uses a wheelchair, but there are places that are inaccessible to him.

This was not a problem for his group of friends, who decided to transform  a backpack and add a backrest and a padded seat to it to hold Kevan during the whole trip, alternating to carry the 30 kg of its weight.

Her first adventure was in 2015, when her friends planned a trip to North Carolina.

Given his condition, Kevan thought he could not accompany them. However, his friends had another idea – they put him in a backpack and carried him with them on an exploration trip.

The first trip was a real success, that’s why they wanted to go further and  decided to go to Europe, where Kevan could know places he had never dared to dream of before.

They walked through gardens, catacombs, monasteries and natural landscapes.

Overcome obstacles to reach your dreams

Kevan’s friends consider that his muscular dystrophy does not make his dreams smaller or bigger than other people.

For this reason, they designed a backpack for Kevan and a plan to load all the things necessary for survival. They also organized a fundraising campaign through GoFundMe.

Thus, they obtained the necessary funds to continue their great adventure.

In addition, they publicized their trip through the We Carry Kevan blog and the WeCarryKevan Instagram account, where pictures of all their adventures can be seen.

They plan to present a documentary recounting all their experiences.

The lessons of their adventure

This group of friends embarked on a trip to Europe. He visited fantastic places in England, France, and Ireland.

Kevan wanted to discover catacombs, gardens and monasteries, places that would normally be inaccessible to him.

For 19 days, they traveled around Europe and discovered wonderful landscapes. Thus, they saw mountains, incredible cities as well as beautiful sunsets.

However, it was not all so easy. Indeed, they had to prepare themselves physically to support Kevan’s weight and he for his part had to give up the independence of his wheelchair and trust his friends.

Kevan says it’s not just about him, it’s about the whole group. For him, the fact of never having been alone in life, is of vital importance. As well as every challenge, victory or defeat, also gave him courage to continue.

“In every step of the way, I have been accompanied by my family, my friends and by God. Know that my strength comes from there (the strength of each of us!). I hope that I will also give them the same strength, because that is the goal, to give courage to each other. Support us. This life must be lived together. With others, we become stronger and more courageous, ”explains Kevan.

A source of inspiration

In this story of incredible travel and this beautiful friendship, Kevan claims to be a source of inspiration for all the other disabled people in the world.

He wants them to realize that there are no impossible dreams, and no obstacles that cannot be overcome.

Definitely, the story of Kevan Chandler and his friends proves the value of friendship.

It also teaches us perseverance, a positive attitude. And also that strength of will can help us overcome all difficulties  to achieve our dreams.

Images by Kevan Chandler