Brady Chan

Brady was diagnosed with Type 2 Spinal Muscular Atrophy in March of 2012. At the time, this devastating disease had no cure or treatment, leaving us to wonder what the future held for our child. SMA is a debilitating neuromuscular disease that destroys the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movements. This means Brady has never been able to walk, play independently, dress himself, brush his teeth, even initiate hugs, and a thousand other things able bodied people do each day without any thought.

2022 marks a decade since receiving his diagnosis, and boy, has Brady come a long way! There have been plenty of days when he's felt the unfairness of it all, from simple wishes like riding a bike, to feeling the physical aches of being a prisoner of his own body. One thing about Brady though, he is resilient and doesn't stay down for long. He's a competitive student, passionate foodie, and eager explorer of the world. On any given week, you can find him binging on books, coding games, playing boccia, and doing his best to enjoy what life has to offer. He is a fighter, determined not to let SMA hold him back.

Brady loves the beach. The sand, the dunes, and the lack of public access to beach wheelchairs - those are all challenges we face in order to get Brady to his happy place. We are fundraising to get Brady his own beach wheelchair this summer and hope you will join us in that effort, because everyone deserves to feel the joy of sand between their toes, no matter their ability.