Cherry Gulch was excited to have two amazing men present their story at our quarterly family workshop in May of 2014. Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck shared their story of fortitude, friendship and community with the Cherry Gulch families. Justin and Patrick's story is one of overcoming adversity. Each of the boys and their families have faced adversity and our goal is for them is to learn the value of fortitude.
Justin is diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease that attacks his central nervous system and over the course of his life the disease has left him without the use of his arms and legs. Patrick and Justin have been best friends since birth and Patrick has been there for Justin throughout the progression of his disease. Justin loves to travel and after losing his graphic design career due to the loss of the ability to use his arms, he continued to travel. Justin was inspired to help others with disabilities learn how to navigate the travel industry and started a business consulting company called The Disabled Traveler. One afternoon about 2 years ago Justin happened to be watching a segment on Spain that discussed the Camino De Santiago, an ancient 500 mile pilgrimage across Northern Spain. He wondered if he could do it in his wheelchair and when he shared it with Patrick, Patrick's first words were "I'll Push You". Learn more about their story at
www.illpushyou.com.
After listening to Patrick and Justin speak about their journey and their foundation of friendship, some of the Cherry Gulch families wanted their sons to be a part of something that illustrates the power of fortitude, love and friendship.
The Cherry Gulch boys and two staff embarked on a journey across Spain to catch up to Justin and Patrick and spend time pushing. The group enjoyed sightseeing in Madrid, but was excited to travel to Leon where they had their first glimpse of the Camino de Santiago. The Camino starts in St Jean Pied de Port, France and ends in Santiago de Compostela and the trail is marked with yellow arrows and clam shells. The group was excited to find the first clam shell marking "The Way" after traveling many miles by planes and trains. They were able to meet up with Justin and Patrick in a little town called Astorga, a train's ride away from Leon. They shared dinner with Patrick and Justin and the boys spent time examining Justin's off road wheelchair and asking a multitude of questions about their journey. Justin and Patrick were fantastic with the boys and excitedly answered questions and shared their stories. The group made plans to meet early the next morning to begin the challenge of pushing Justin 13.3 miles.
Morning came quickly as they had to wake early to catch the bus to Astorga. The boys were tired, but excited to discuss the challenges the day would provide. They discussed the possibility of being very tired and wanting to quit and agreed to think about Justin and what he would give to be able to walk alongside them on the Camino. The boys were animated and excited upon arrival in Astorga and walked the first 3 miles with energy and enthusiasm. After stopping for breakfast in a quaint little village, Patrick took a break from pushing and the first CG boy took over. He was full of enthusiasm and pushed for many miles. When it was time for the next boy to take over the first hesitantly gave in as he was so excited to be pushing. The other boys took short turns as they found it was much harder than they anticipated. The first boy took over again and pushed for a total of 6-7 of the 13.3 miles. The boys were exhausted and the day was hot, but no one complained about their discomfort. There were times on the trail when it took one person pulling, one person pushing and two others on the sides of the wheelchair to get through steep, rocky sections and still the boys did not complain. After approximately seven hours of walking they arrived in Rabanal, the destination for the day, and enjoyed a much deserved lunch. After lunch and some time revisiting the walk they said goodbye to Justin and Patrick and continued their journey to Santiago de Compostela. Santiago was an amazing experience and the boys toured the cathedral with awe. Many Camino souvenirs where purchased to commemorate their journey and remind them of Justin's determination to not let anything hold him back and Patrick's act of true friendship. Patrick and Justin's story is inspirational and watching our Cherry Gulch boys push beyond their comfort to be a part of something bigger than themselves was truly remarkable.
Cherry Gulch is a ranch-style, therapeutic boarding school designed specifically for 10 -14 year old boys. Cherry Gulch's supportive, encouraging and respect-based approach is designed to build students up-rather than tear them down. Cherry Gulch is passionate about providing early intervention and prevention to help boys reach their full potential and become well-rounded, pro-social young men.
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