From Monroe County to the steps of our State Capitol, Hunter Gandee started walking six days ago to raise awareness of Cerebral Palsy.
As if the trip isn't long enough on foot, he's carrying his younger brother, nine-year-old Braden.
"Just seeing how he fights through everything," said Hunter. "How he fights through all the hard work he has to go through and how he does it with a positive attitude, I want to just try and help him out in some way."
So he decided to walk more than a hundred miles, bringing attention to the disorder and challenging everyone to make the world a more inclusive place
"We've always been this close. Now just everyone else is able to see it," said Hunter. "We just want to show people the different limitations, the different things that are inaccessible to Braden in our world."
The journey hasn't been easy.
"I'm pretty sore right now," said Hunter when he was passing through East Lansing. "Braden's also feeling pretty sore."
But the Gandee family says the community support has made all the difference.
"We take our mind off how sore we are and how tired we feel, and we just have fun," said Kerragan Gandee, Braden's older sister. "It honestly is an amazing experience to be out here."
The walk with Braden on piggy back ended half a mile down from the State Capitol at the Cooley Law School Stadium, and that's because Braden completed that last half a mile on his own.
"This started because of him," said Hunter. "It's all because of him, and it's all for him. So I thought it was only right for him to finish it off."
"The perfect way to end it is to show how much he's grown through this and how much support he's getting with this support," said Kerragan. "How much he can push through. How he can really flourish on his own."
One step at a time.
"Braden means the world to me," said Hunter. "He always has meant to world to me and always will."
