First, here’s a little bit about why David is in charge of the special needs event. David is qualified for special needs, because he has a fairly rare neurological disorder. The disorder is called Charlot-Marie Tooth, or CMT for short. Really, nobody has ever heard of it, including most doctors.

Basically it is a peripheral nephropathy, which means the nerves in his arms and legs don’t work right. So, the message from his brain to his muscles gets garbled.

David has always related his disease like a vehicle:

It’s like, you have a a great stereo, even awesome speakers, but they you use cheap equipment. Your wiring doesn’t matter how loud you turn it up, because the speakers are not going to sound good at all. You see, David has bad wiring. So, he has what what he calls” a bad ground.” Every time something flips out in the vehicle, you have to check your ground wires.  It limits you, because you can still walk-ish. And yes, he was born with it. It’s a genetic defect.

He was diagnosed with CMT when he was only six years old.

David has never been able to run, or jump, or be a “normal” kid. But David realized, when he was young that he loved the outdoors. He was very involved with Boy Scouts and always loved the outdoors.

In Colorado, David often went hiking in the mountains. He worked at the Boy Scout camp. Really, he fell in love with it. And as he got older, his mobility decreased. He realized when he was in college, that he still wanted to be able to get out in the great outdoors.

He knew he needed a “vehicle” to be able to do that. It wasn’t going to be a mountain bike. It wasn’t going to be his electric scooter. And it obviously wasn’t obviously going to be David hiking.

So, for David, a Jeep was a natural fit.

David bought his first Jeep when he was in college, with the help of his parents. It was a 1990 Jeep Cherokee, that he bought in 1998. David has been Jeepin’ ever since.

Now what happens, people say, “why don’t you just hike?”  Well, walking very far also does not work for David.

He was drawn to the trails because he is always up for a challenge. He loves getting out on the rocks. He loves getting out there in the wheeling world, with the comrade-re. Sure, he can’t walk 10 feet, but he can sure run up a 10 foot obstacle in a 4X4. You see, when David gets out on the rocks and trails, he is normal, with people cheering him on.

However, he still has people who don’t know better, that heckle him.

They heckle him the same way a normal person would get heckled. They don’t treat David special. They treat him like a normal person. They want to see David bash his tail light in. They want to see him bash his fender in. Just like they do with anyone out on the trails. Because when he’s out there, it’s a level playing field. He’s out there with everyone else.

The Trails Are Therapeutic For David

He gets out there, he doesn’t just sit at home and complain about his life. He goes out there and lives life every day. As he says, “It’s the only life I have.”

Now, David helps on the special needs run for the Hero for a Day charity at The Trail Hero. He helps others, we’re talking hundreds of other people that look up to David every day. It is special, because of most of the people on David’s runs, it’s there first time out on an offroad vehicle. It’s their first time out on the rocks and trails ever. Which changes their outlook on life forever.

A “Hero for a Day” Story

A lot of special needs kids got out of school to attend the special needs run. The way they walked was similar to how David moves. That week, a boy had just ordered his mobility scooter. And he was sad. He thought “I’m going to be different, they are going to make fun of me, I have to be confined to this for the rest of my life. What am I going to do with my life?”

And then he saw David. He saw David get in his Jeep. And the boy said “WOW” this guy is disabled. If that guy can do it, so can I.” David instantly thought, “If that’s a message I can get out there, I have to get it out there. I’m just some gimpy guy, I can’t walk, but I’m someone who can show them how to do it.”

An Inspiration to Others

David is now such an inspiration and positive influence to others, that it made Kevin and Brittany reflect on the the journey they have just recently embarked on in the offroad world. It’s been the same kind of roller coaster ride for them. They were just out enjoying their lives, trying to make the best of it, and meeting awesome people along the way.

Kevin and Brittany talked to some of their followers who didn’t know what they wanted to do, then came across Kevin and Brittany’s YouTube channel. Now they want to follow in their foot steps.  To get a Jeep, and start exploring and see the world, not even knowing this world of offroading was even available to them.

Now Kevin loves to see their followers, and give back while they are teaching others.  All while helping organizations like The Trail Hero and Hero for a Day. To help special needs people and our wounded veterans live better lives, and inspire them all to do more.

By enabling our special needs and veteran friends to have access to motorized vehicles, with the blessings that the Hero for a Day charity can provide.

All to help reach people across the world, since there could even be a Trail Hero in Japan some day. Then the Japanese will come to The Trail Hero here. It just goes to show how off roading can bring total strangers together, and change lives in an impactful way.

Not an E3 OffRoad Association Member? Join here today.