True Friendship – A Journey Through Europe

True friendship involves making sacrifices to meet the needs of your loved one. In today’s article we want to present you a story that confirms the miracle of friendship. The protagonists are Kevan Chandler, a 29-year-old man, and his friends, Tom Troyer, Philip Keller, Benjamin Duvall and Luke Thompson.

When Troyer, Keller, Duvall and Thompson decided to go on holiday to Europe, they told themselves they couldn’t help but take Kevan with them. After all, one of his biggest dreams was to travel around the world. True friendship urged them to help him.

True friendship turns dreams into reality

Kevan Chandler is a writer who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy. This is  a painful degenerative disease that causes muscle weakness and inability to walk.

Although her poor health forced Kevan to live without certain physical abilities, she failed to stifle his desire to see the world and have adventures in new places. In everyday life, he manages to move with the help of a wheelchair, but certain places are inaccessible to him.

But no disease can defeat true friendship. Kevan’s friends decided to build a custom backpack with a padded chair. Then, they carried their friend throughout the trip, each carrying his body of 31 kg in a row.

The first adventure took place in 2015, when the group decided to travel through the state of North Carolina. Because of his illness, Kevan assumed he would not be able to join them.

But his friends had other plans. They placed Kevan on the aforementioned custom backpack and took him with them to explore the world together.

The first trip was a success, which is why the group wanted to try to travel further. They decided to go to Europe, a continent where Kevan could have seen things he had only dreamed of before. There, friends visited castles, catacombs, monasteries and forests.

True friendship helps you overcome obstacles to fulfill your dreams

Kevan’s friends refused to accept the idea that his illness should limit his dreams. In addition to building the special backpack, they launched a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe. Through it, they raised the money needed for their adventure.

The 5 friends immortalized their trip on a blog and an Instagram account (both called We Carry Kevan), where we can view pictures of all the adventures they had. Moreover, they plan to produce a documentary soon based on their experiences during the trip.

As you can see, true friendship can work wonders!

What they learned from their adventure

The group of friends traveled through Europe and saw wonderful places in England, France and Ireland. Kevan wanted to see places that would normally have been inaccessible to him. Their journey lasted 19 days, during which they saw wonderful landscapes, mountains, incredible cities and magical sunsets.

However, the adventure was not without obstacles. Kevan’s friends had to carry him throughout the trip, and he himself had to give up the independence offered by his wheelchair.

Kevan said that this trip was not only beneficial for him, but for the whole group. In his opinion, it is essential to have support in life and to know that every challenge, achievement and failure gives you the courage to try again.

“At every step, I had my family, my friends and God with me. This is the source of my strength — the source of the strength of each of us!

I hope I will give them strength too, because that really matters: let’s encourage each other. Join us. Life must be lived with other people. We can become stronger and braver together “, says Kevan.

True friendship, a source of inspiration

Thanks to the incredible story of his journey, Kevan has become a source of inspiration for people with disabilities around the world. He wants them to realize that any dream can come true and that there are no insurmountable obstacles.

The story of Kevan Chandler and his friends demonstrates how important true friendship is. These wonderful people have shown us that we can overcome any obstacles and fulfill our dreams, as long as we are persevering and have a positive attitude and will.