Book Review: "I'll Push You"

Yesterday, my parents and I completed our semiannual 1,200-mile road trip to Buffalo, so this is a good time to tell you about a book titled I'll Push You: A Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends, and One Wheelchair. Published by Tyndale Momentum last year, this inspirational memoir chronicles best friends Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck's pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, which is Spanish for "Way of St. James." A wheelchair user, Skeesuck needs help with activities of daily living because he has multifocal acquired motor axonopathy (MAMA), a rare neuromuscular disease with symptoms that are similar to those of ALS. To learn more about MAMA and to read an excerpt from I'll Push You, go to https://strongly.mda.org/multifocal-acquired-motor-axonopathy/.

Skeesuck was inspired to go on the Camino after watching a TV program about it. He asked Gray if he'd accompany him on this trip, and Gray responded with the following words: "I'll push you." After flying from Idaho, they started the Camino in St. Jean Pied de Port, France, in early June 2014. Gray and Skeesuck made several new friends who helped them along the way to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Also a documentary based on the book, I'll Push You encourages readers to go outside their comfort zones and pursue their dreams despite their obstacles. It also displays true friendship, which is reinforced by the photo gallery inside the book. I recommend I'll Push You for readers with and without disabilities. More details on Gray and Skeesuck's journey can be found at https://www.illpushyou.com/.

(image via illpushyou.com)