Disabled man's dream of seeing Europe seemed impossible until his friends literally carried him along
For three weeks, his friends carried him, a 65-pound man, on their backs and explored Europe.
Kevan Chandler, a writer, was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, type 2, a rare neuromuscular disease, shortly after he was born, but his disability didn't stop him from dreaming big. In fact, a trip to Europe was what kept him going, even though he knew it was nearly impossible being wheelchair bound. In 2015, he, somehow, mustered the courage and told his friends about his long-standing dream. Surprisingly, his friends agreed to help; they worked together to solve the biggest problem — mobility. Instead of using a wheelchair, five of Chandler's friends modified a kid carrier backpack to carry him. This allowed them to travel through places that could have been otherwise impossible.
"I've always wanted to go to Europe, but knew I'd have trouble seeing the places that aren't accessible to me," Chandler told Today, but little did he know, his friends would make his dream a reality in no time. For three weeks, his friends carried him, a 65-pound man, on their backs. Chandler enjoyed the trip just like any ordinary tourist; they danced in the streets of Paris, attended a musical festival on the banks of the Seine River, explored cities, and basically gathered a lifetime of memories. The trip changed Chandler's life forever; it drove him towards a transformative mission to help others in a similar situation. He established a non-profit organization, "We Carry Kevan (WCK)", to help people with disabilities have more freedom in life. "The message is for the disabled community as well as the able-bodied. We need each other to make it happen. If we are creative and courageous enough to give it a try, then the world becomes accessible," he believes. After Europe, Chandler and his friend went on several trips, including to the Great Wall of China. Chandler realized there were millions like him who want to travel the world but can't do it because of their limitations. So, his organization developed a carrier device, called the "WCK backpack," specially designed for people with disabilities. The device assures a comfortable and hassle-free experience to people like Chandler; in fact, he also uses it travel abroad now.
A 2023 report by the World Health Organization estimated that 1.3 billion people worldwide live with some form of disability. This means 16% of the world’s population, or 1 in 6 of us, struggle to accomplish daily chores because of limitations. Above all, people with disabilities are 15 times more likely to report serious problems with inaccessible and unaffordable transportation than those without disabilities. Imagine if people with mobility issues are struggling to even travel for necessities, would they ever dare to dream about travelling the world? Well, they would if only they had sheer determination like Chandler and friends like him.
People have always praised Chandler's friends for being so supportive of him; they didn't just fulfil his dream, but their gesture gave millions of people with disabilities hope; for instance when reshared on Reddit, u/kimmiekay3 commented, "I felt that in my heart. It is beautiful to hear of such good friends, and I mean all of them. It shows true trust to allow someone to carry you around like that." u/toxikola wrote, "Amazing. Life happens to their friend, and they just collectively decide it's time to get jacked so that he's still a part of everything. Legends." u/jumpin-joey-wheeler shared, "This is what it looks like when inclusion isn't performative. You don't do this for a guy you don't truly love and want to be around. All of them got buff enough to carry him, too. This is a genuine, loving group of brothers, not just friends. Everyone deserves to know love like this in their lifetime."
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