We Carry Kevan Interview
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to Joni and Friends.
And one of those friends is Kevan Chandler who has spinal muscular atrophy. Kevan has a pretty small frame; is unable to walk and has limited use of his hands. But don’t think his smallness is a disadvantage. In a way, his stature has enabled Kevan to redefine accessibility. Kevan, it’s good to have you here.
KEVAN: Thank you. Thanks for having me.
JONI: I’ve seen videos of your friends carrying you, and you want to explain a little bit about how that happens, because you are small in a wheelchair and yet you have gone to some of the most amazing places around the world.
KEVAN: It’s been an awesome experience so far. About two years ago some friends of mine decided we wanted to go to Europe and see some things that would not be wheelchair-accessible per se. And yet we still wanted to go and have that experience together. So we figured out the best way to do that was to design a backpack for them to carry me on their back and so we left my wheelchair at the airport in Atlanta and spent time in France, England and Ireland just exploring and hiking mountains and climbing through the woods.
JONI: Well, I see the video and there you are, going where no elevator goes; where no ramp can go. You have been on the top of mountains where no paraplegic as ever been. You are the backpack! So, how heavy are you?
KEVAN: I am 65 pounds and the backpack is about 10.
JONI: So your friends are carrying a 70 pound pack and there you are in it. You are the backpack! What a great way to redefine accessibility. Do you want to explain that?
KEVAN: Sure. It’s really just this idea of people helping people and friends coming along side and making experiences possible. In Colossians, Chapter 1 when Paul is talking about the church, he talks about the love that they have for one another and he says it’s because of the hope that is stored up for them in heaven. And so realizing that when we really grasp what the Lord has given us in His love and His relationship, then that propels us forward to care for others.
JONI: Wow! Well, I imagine that you have encountered young men and women with spinal muscular atrophy or osteogenesis imperfecta or any other kind of disability in which they might have a very small stature. You must give them so much hope to think that there might be a friend in their circle of friendships who might strap them on their back and hike a mountain – who knows! Kevan, tell me what your dream is, because I know that you have been plans beyond Europe, right?
KEVAN: Yes. This August we are going to China and we will be visiting the care centers and an organization called “Show Hope”. They serve orphans with disabilities. We get to spend about three weeks hanging out with those kids and the doctors, hopefully being an encouragement to them.
JONI: Well, Kevan, I’ve seen the video of your friends carrying you in a backpack. It is kind of hard to imagine, so friend listening you have to go to my radio page at joniradio.org and see this amazing video of Kevan being the backpack. It’s so cool. I tell you what, our listening friends can see your story right now and participate in your trip to China by praying for you and cheering you on and perhaps supporting you. Friend listening, you have to see this neat video of Kevan in a backpack and his friends and his vision to inspire and encourage disabled children in China and those who care for them. So visit joniradio.org where I have posted this amazing video that shows Kevan as a backpack on his friend’s back, because accessibility is not so much about ramps and elevators, it’s as you said, Kevan, it’s about people helping people and discovering the world in a brand new way. So visit my radio page at joniradio.org where we have put a link to Kevan’s website where you can have a part in Kevan’s trip to China. Thank you, Kevan, for livin’ the dream.
KEVAN: Thank you.
© Joni and Friends
