Hunter Gandee Carries Younger Brother For 40 Miles On His Back For Cerebral Palsy Swagger

A teenager named Hunter Gandee is setting out on a 40 mile trek with his seven-year-old brother Braden strapped to his back as part of a campaign they’re calling the cerebral palsy swagger. But what is the purpose of this epic journey?

In a related report by The Inquisitr, other sufferers of cerebral palsy are not so fortunate to have such a great older brother. For example, one child suffering from cerebral palsy starved while an unemployed couple collected government benefits. Another nine-year-old boy was tied to a bus stop while his grandmother went to work.

In the case of the cerebral palsy swagger, the Gandee boys are trying to raise awareness of the muscular condition that effects 50-pound Braden. The younger brother is currently limited to using a walker, braces, or power chair for his mobility but in this case they came up with a carrier that keeps him safely strapped to his older brother. Hunter weighs 155 pounds and in addition to wrestling he loves to train by lifting weights and staying active.

The brothers started their journey from the parking lot of Bedford Junior High School in Temperance, Michigan, which is near the Ohio border. By tomorrow, Sunday, they hope to arrive at the University Of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The goal is to “grab the attention of the next generation of leaders, doctors, engineers and entrepreneurs and show them the face of cerebral palsy and the need for new ideas in mobility aides and medical procedures.” They’ve already raised thousands of dollars from other schools and by selling green wristbands for the event.

The starting line for their march was also a green ribbon and a crowd released balloons into the air shortly after Hunter gave a speech:

“It really just brings me to a loss of words. I can’t explain to you guys how much this means to us. When we’re going through struggles during this walk and things get hard, it just really helps the support we’re getting. It’s going to push us through.”

Hunter says that even some celebrities have show interest in the cerebral palsy swagger:

“We’ve gotten contacted by the lead singer of Megadeth, and he’s supporting us and donating. We’ve gotten contacted by the Detroit Tigers, and they’re on board and supporting us. Whole bunches of different people.”

The Gandee family is not asking that people donate money to them or their son but instead ask everyone to send donations to the University of Michigan Cerebral Palsy Research Program.