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  • I have been fortunate to have a good design career where I've worked for some really good

  • design studios. I used to be able to sketch draw out my ideas and that type of stuff but

  • then I really could not do that anymore. I have an autoimmune disease that attacks my

  • nervous system. It was in the winter of 2010 and up until that point everything was staying

  • to my waist and below. So, I had no weakness in my arms, hands or anything like that.

  • I can tell something is going to happen when I get a twitching and craps in whatever muscles

  • are deciding to go next. I started getting twitching in my upper right shoulder. By the

  • end of that month I had significant loss in both my arms.

  • Justin and I were friends from the get-go even as kids he could find the silver lining

  • to any cloud. Just always positive, always happy and always driven just to enjoy life.

  • I remember when he told me on the phone that he started to notice a lot of weakness in

  • his hands. I thought okay his hands were his life blood. This is his career. I wasn't prepared

  • for the first time that I saw him after his hands had really started to decline when he

  • asked me to help feed him. Having to hold the glass with two hands. Needing a straw

  • because he could not navigate holding the cup. Then now his wife, his kids or I have

  • to hold a cup for him. It was heavy. It was heart to see that change. I thought over and

  • over ... why not me? In a second, I would trade places. I would do it in a second.

  • I could see that dark deep hole that you could go down and I was on the edge of that. But

  • then life is too short to sit around and complain. Life is too short to go down that deep dark

  • hole.

  • Hey buddy.

  • Hey.

  • How are you doing man?

  • How is it going?

  • Good.

  • It's been a long time. Good to see you.

  • You too man.

  • Well I wasn't really looking for the Camino. It kind of found me. I was watching PBS and

  • on came Rick Steves. He was doing a thing on Spain. He was talking about the Camino

  • and I was like what is that? I'd never heard of it and never heard of it at all. Later

  • I turned to my wife and said "that would be something that is crazy to do." I wonder if

  • I could do that in my wheelchair?

  • My immediate thought was like Pat and I should do this together.

  • We were sitting in his living room and he asked me "Do you want to go across 500 miles

  • in northern Spain with me?" and I said "Yes I'll push you."

  • We are going over mountains. Were going through hills and valleys. We're going through the

  • countryside. Like miles and miles a day.

  • He has turned it into fuel to do more. To dream big. That is a world changing message.

  • If we can help encourage others in the process then that would be pretty amazing.

I have been fortunate to have a good design career where I've worked for some really good

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