These Friends Carried Their Disabled Best Friend Around the World and It Is Beautiful
In 2016, a group of friends set out on a trip through Europe that required more preparation than usual. One of them, Kevan Chandler, used a wheelchair and lived with spinal muscular atrophy, a condition that significantly limited his mobility. Many of the places they wanted to visit were shaped by centuries of history, with stairs, narrow walkways, and uneven ground that made wheelchair access difficult. Instead of changing their plans or excluding anyone, the group focused on finding a way to travel together. They decided to build a backpack.
A Trip That Started With Planning, Not Impulse
Image via Canva/Yuganov Konstantin
The idea took time to become a reality. Planning began the year before the trip, with months spent fundraising, testing designs, and thinking through how to move safely through environments that ranged from cobblestone streets to steep stone staircases.
Kevan weighed about 65 pounds at the time, but weight alone was not the main concern: balance, comfort, safety, and endurance all played a role in how the solution needed to work.
The backpack they designed was custom-built specifically for Kevan. It distributed weight across the shoulders and hips and included supports and straps that kept him secure for long walks. Once the design was ready, four friends rotated carrying duties, while two others documented the journey.
Traveling Through Places Built Long Before Accessibility
Image via Getty Images/william87
The group traveled through England, Ireland, and France, visiting locations that are rarely part of accessibility conversations. They passed through medieval villages, castles, narrow paths, and historic sites built long before modern standards shaped the route.
In Ireland, they climbed monastic steps carved directly into rock. In France, long walking days and crowded streets became part of the routine. Each stop required coordination, patience, and constant communication.
Kevan was not left behind. He stayed with the group through every climb and every turn, with friends taking turns carrying him as the terrain demanded.
At the end of demanding days, the work continued. His friends helped with meals, restroom needs, and getting ready for bed. The logistics of care did not pause because they were traveling. They became part of the trip’s rhythm.
Friendship Without an Exit Strategy
One of the most striking parts of the story is what did not happen. The trip was not treated as charity or an obligation. Kevan has spoken openly about that distinction. The experience did not feel like being helped. It felt like being included.
For him, the value was not just the scenery or the novelty of reaching places a wheelchair could not go. It was the freedom of moving through the world without constant calculations about ramps, elevators, or doorway widths. For a while, accessibility did not dictate the plan. The group did.
When a Private Experience Became Public
Photos and videos from the trip began circulating online. Viewers noticed the backpack first, then the terrain, then the expressions. Questions followed. How did they build it? Could others use something similar? Was this approach possible for different disabilities or family situations?
The response revealed something unexpected. People were not only reacting to the friendship. Many were searching for alternatives.
That interest eventually led to the creation of a nonprofit called We Carry Kevan. The organization focuses on helping others rethink access through shared effort, equipment development, and preparation for collaborative travel.
The goal is not to replace ramps or elevators but to acknowledge that infrastructure alone does not address every barrier.
Redefining What Access Can Mean
Kevan has been direct about how he views disability. He does not avoid the word, and he does not let it define the limits of his life. For him, the backpack was not a temporary fix. It was another way of engaging with the world.
That perspective shaped the nonprofit’s direction. The group emphasizes preparation, consent, and partnership. Carrying someone requires trust on both sides, as well as an honest understanding of physical limits. Not everybody can do it, and not every trip should attempt it.
What matters is expanding the range of options.