Carden and Spencer Wyckoff had the typical sibling relationship. No matter what, at the end of the day, they loved each other and would do anything for one another. The adventures these two siblings experienced made them even closer.
Carden was diagnosed with FSH muscular dystrophy at the age of 9. Ever since then, her daily tasks became more and more difficult. Her condition had worsened by the time she graduated high school, with her struggles increasing as she aged.
"Cooking, making your bed, things that you do every day that you kind of take for granted… those things started to get more and more difficult," Carden explained.
Luckily, Carden still had hope. She was a positive young woman, and was not about to give up on herself because of the tough times. One day, she was talking with her friends when they sparked an interesting idea.
"Let's take her to the Appalachian Trail. Let's see the Georgia section," Carden recalled her friends saying. "We just said, 'OK, let's do it!'"
Her spontaneity and need to live in the moment was quite admirable. In fact, it was so admirable, that her idea turned into an entire event. Carden's brother heard about the hiking plan and he was immediately in. He wanted nothing more than to give his little sister an amazing experience that she would otherwise never have. He and 25 of Carden's friends were to carry her in a series of piggyback rides throughout the trail. That meant 82 miles of piggyback rides. The crew made their way to the mountains, enjoying the scenery and, of course, each other. The large group completed their hike to help out a friend, in addition to raising awareness and money for a cure.
Carden stated: "Just because you have a disability, or just because you have a roadblock standing in the way, doesn't mean you just curl up in a ball and go to sleep."
Proud brother Spencer said: "However deep in a chair that she has to become, you know, we can still take on huge adventures."
His sister then added: "It's a challenge every day, but I'm very much a believer of, if you put good in, you get good out. And so, you have to stay positive even though you feel like your body is crumbling away."
Despite their biggest obstacles, Carden and Spencer never gave up and will continue to live with the same philosophy.
Please SHARE this remarkable story with your own siblings if you know you would do anything for them!
