Step into the pages of Ryan Berube’s story! Become a part of the laughter, the tears, celebrate the impossible as he shares his adventures through life with his readers.
“When we went, there was still snow. Because of this, the main activities were winter activities: snowshoeing and snow tubing. There was a relatively steep hill that was perfect for snow tubing. One of the parents who volunteered to go on the overnighter was a guy named Kelly Spencer. He’s a good guy, adventurous and energetic. He worked in the hospital at the time, and the hospital owned a seven-foot-long toboggan. Over the top of it was a canvas cover with a zipper down the middle. It was designed to transport disabled or injured individuals. The rider would be zipped into the toboggan from feet to neck so they wouldn’t fall out or get badly jostled. Kelly got permission to borrow it with me in mind. It was very thoughtful of him to think of ways to include me. It meant a lot to me that he did that.
Kelly helped me get in the toboggan and started pulling me over to the tubing hill. I’m not going to lie; looking up at the steepness of it made me a bit nervous, but I had gotten that far; there was no way I was going to back out. Reaching the top and looking down did not calm my nerves at all. He asked me if I was ready. I was not, but I still said, “Heck yeah.” He gave me a shove, and I was off hauling down the steep slope. It was a riot. When I reached the bottom, I was ready for more. I went down three more times. Each time was as fun as the first. However, on my fourth run, everything went smoothly until halfway down the hill. At that point, the toboggan rolled, so I was face down. I dragged my face on the icy snow the rest of the way. Kelly got to me quickly and turned me over. I had a huge bloody ice burn down my face. He felt terrible. I do not regret it at all. It was a blast. I am grateful for the memory. My mom sure was stunned when I got off the bus, and she saw my face.”
“The next beach we went to was huge. It has an asphalt path all the way around it. It also has a big, long pier that goes out to the ocean. I was excited when we got there. Tyler and I were crossing the asphalt path when we neared the lifeguard station. I noticed a spot where I could access the sand. I went hauling off down to the access point and into the sand. As soon as I hit the sand, my chair sank. Coming to a sudden stop, I face-planted in the sand.
Since I went hauling off, I left Tyler in the dust. He was not close enough to grab me and prevent me from falling out of the chair. I only lay there with my face buried in the sand for like 20 seconds before I felt someone grab my shoulders from behind. I then was turned over and saw it was Tyler. He was a little blurry since my eyes were burning from the sand in them.
As soon as Tyler saw my face, he busted up laughing. Instead of starting to lift me in the wheelchair, he told me to hold on. He took his camera out of his pocket and started snapping photos. By this time, other people had gathered around to see if I was okay. Everyone probably thought Tyler was a jerk, standing there taking photos of a disabled guy lying helplessly in the sand with it all over his face. I was laughing, too, though. When I was still down, one of the lifeguards came and offered to let us use a beach wheelchair. It had tall, wide, puffy plastic tires. We took the lifeguard up on it. Tyler lifted me into it and pushed me for a while.
After the incident, I had sand in my ears, nose, and mouth. Any crevice you can think of had sand in it. I was finding it for a week. I do not know what I was thinking, driving into the sand like that. It made for a great memory, though. I have no regrets about it.”
Ryan Berube is a man in his forties who has defied all odds, living a remarkable life with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Despite the challenges of his diagnosis, Ryan’s determination, optimism and “Wheel to Live” mindset have propelled him to achieve extraordinary things and live a life of adventure.
His refusal to let obstacles define his path continues to inspire everyone he meets. As he shares his journey through life, you can’t help but to embrace your own “Wheel to Live.”
