Hunter Grandee recently completed a 40-mile walk in his hometown with his brother in an attempt to raise awareness about cerebral palsy. Erin Kelly examines the lesson we can all learn from his efforts.
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“I can’t even describe how special Braden is to me. I can’t put it into words. He’s always there for me, [and] I really just wanted to give back to him in some way.”
These sentiments could ring true for anyone—a parent, grandparent, friend, or even a caregiver. One could even say that these words aren’t words at all, and make the argument that they’re the unspoken promises kept at the end of a long trek.
For 14-year-old Hunter Gandee, that’s exactly what they are.
According to an article posted on USA Today, Gandee walked 40 miles earlier this month with his younger brother, Braden, who has cerebral palsy, strapped to his back. The purpose of the walk, which Hunter reportedly raised funds for and organized himself—called The Cerebral Palsy Swagger—was to raise awareness about cerebral palsy in his hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Little did Hunter know, however, his efforts would do much more than that.
The two-day trek was filled with unforeseen obstacles. As reported in the June 9th article on USA Today, Braden’s legs became severely irritated due to chafing. In fact, the pain in his legs became so severe that Hunter reportedly considered stopping altogether at the 30-mile mark—despite already braving nearly 20 miles of rain, heat and fatigue. It wasn’t until that point that he decided to make a call to a friend.
That one phone call—and stopping to reposition Braden on his back—pushed Hunter through the last ten miles of the walk. Not only that, but the boys also received support from their parents, who accompanied them on their journey—along with a caravan full of other walkers and spectators.
This story has garnered national attention, being covered by almost every major news outlet across the country, including CNN, ABC News and CBS.com. Various reports have noted that Hunter has gained community-wide support before and after the inspirational 40-mile trek, even bringing the people of Ann Arbor closer together.
It’s been said that actions speak louder than words—and while the report from NBC didn’t mention whether or not Hunter accomplished his initial goal, I think this excerpt from the article speaks volumes:
“At the top of the hill, Hunter lifted Braden up so he could touch a ‘Go Blue’ banner erected for them near the walk’s endpoint. The move was met with thunderous applause and cheers from those who gathered to see the boys finish the trek.”
In fact, Hunter’s selfless display of dedication and love for Braden has captured the hearts and minds of millions—much the same way that the story of Conner and Cayden Long did a few months ago. In fact, I couldn’t help but to think back to the Long brothers’ story when I got wind of Hunter and Braden’s journey.
I thought I’d be repeating many of the same sentiments I originally alluded to in my piece about Conner and Cayden. While the fundamentals of good core values shine through in both of these stories, something struck me as perhaps even more genuine about the Grandee brothers.
In reading Hunter’s reasoning as to why he wanted to organize The Cerebral Palsy Swagger, I get the sense that he’s been there for Braden through the thickest of the thick and the thinnest of the thin. It’s almost as if his words say, “I’ve picked my brother up when the rest of the world tossed him aside and thought of him as just a kid with a disability.”
Having cerebral palsy myself, as well as two brothers, I can relate to that in a very real way. I think it’s one thing to do something for someone simply because you want to—but when you do something like Hunter did—it’s not about yourself, or persuading the world to see what you see in that person. It’s about the desire and willingness to help that person put their true self on display so others can form their own opinions about them and see the best in them, whatever that happens to be.
When you’re able to apply that to an individual with a disability, your sense of empathy and compassion is heightened. It’s automatically elevated to an entirely different level, because you know deep down inside that all that person wants is to simply be looked at as normal. They may not be able to say it or convey it, but I think that’s what makes it all the more important.
I think we, as a people and as good-natured human beings, need to learn to not only co-exist with disabled individuals, but to live with them. It’s an ability that we all have. Unfortunately, it doesn’t often come naturally—luckily, there are people like Hunter out there, leading the way.
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Photo: AP/The Ann Arbor News, Chris Asadian