Patrick Gray’s best friend, Justin Skeesuck, is disabled and confined to a wheelchair. When he was 16-years-old, Skeesuck was in a car accident that triggered an autoimmune disorder. That disorder has progressively affected his hands, arms, and legs, leaving him almost completely paralyzed.
Skeesuck, now 38, has never been one to let his life be defined by his disability. While watching PBS one afternoon, he saw a special about the 500-mile long El Camino pilgrimage road across northern Spain. His immediate reaction: “‘I wonder if that was something I could do in a wheelchair,” he said.
When he told Gray his idea, Gray’s response was “I’ll push you.” Then with that, it was decided. The two would attempt to travel the entire El Camino across Spain with Gray pushing his friend’s wheelchair. And that’s exactly what they did.
Paul Gray (left), and his best friend Justin Skeesuck (right).
They started their journey on June 1, 2014, and finished on July 12, 2014. A total of 35 days.
It was no easy journey, and they relied a lot on help from strangers along the way.
At one point they had 17 people from 10 different countries helping them along the journey.
The El Camino plotted out in Google Maps.
They had a film crew follow them throughout their journey on the El Camino. Right now, they’re raising money to turn the raw footage into a full documentary.
Check out the trailer for the film so far below. It’s heart wrenching:
Not content to sit on their accomplishments, Gray and Skeesuck are already planning their next adventure. They say this time they want to go on an African safari or maybe scuba diving.
(H/T: The Daily News.)
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