Ram Community Rallies To Help Max Brown Walk

Ram Community Rallies To Help Max Brown Walk

Hundreds looked down from the football stands with tears in their eyes as one of Highland’s most influential and hardworking graduates spoke.

“My experience with Highland football was awesome,” Max Brown, who graduated from Highland this past June, said. “When times are hard, I always find ways to be with my team. Whether we win or lose together everyone is champions because we all have the same goal, and that is to get better as brothers.”

Brotherhood is certainly something that Brown embodies; his devotion to his team and his family is unparalleled. As a football captain he came to every practice and every game with a smile on his face, encouraging his teammates through the good and the bad times. His incredible determination, kindness, and ability to stay positive through the trials that he faces has been inspirational to everyone around him.

Brown was born with Spastic Cerebral Palsy, a disorder in which movement control is impaired due to neural damage that occurs before birth. Because of this, Brown has been confined to a wheelchair for his entire life. But he hasn’t let it stop him yet. When Brown started high school he decided to transition from an electric wheelchair to a rolling one so that he could be more independent and get some good exercise. Every day before football practice, while the rest of the team was warming up on the field, he would roll himself around the track for one or two miles before joining everyone else. In the classroom, his tenacity was the same; he could have chosen to participate in special education, but he decided to challenge himself with mainstream classes.

“When typing his papers, his fingers were slow, but he would stick with it,” Brown’s father said. “He’s just a good example for all of us to never give up.”

Recently, Brown decided to take his determination a step further and has committed himself to gaining enough strength to walk. He has dreamed of being able to walk for his whole life, however this will be no easy task; it requires several weeks of expensive, intensive physical therapy that lasts four hours a day Monday through Friday. It started on August 24th, and has been going well. Though the exercise is challenging, Brown has enjoyed pushing himself hard and is already making progress.

“They stood him up and had him lean against a table, he was struggling at first, but after a while he got used to it and was able to have a conversation with his cousin,” Brown’s sister Apalima said. “He gets really sweaty after each workout.”

The therapy costs $2,000 per week. To help cover some of these costs, Brown’s brother Suli created a fundraiser on www.youcaring.com. Within just two weeks, over $8,000 were raised — enough to cover the entirety of Brown’s physical therapy.

“I am so appreciative of everyone,” Brown said. “It was cool that everyone — even people I don’t know — was so willing to help. It really encouraged me and makes me want to do really well.”

With almost every donation came a comment commending Brown for his strong influence.

“Thank you for your contagious, optimistic attitude towards life and the random acts of kindness throughout your years at Highland High School, but most of all for the example you set to keep fighting and never give up.” Leitu Collins wrote.

Brown has had such a profound impact on Highland that he was awarded the Spirit Award during graduation. A picture was taken of Brown and Suli during this emotional moment and has been put on posters around the school with words and quotes that embody Highland’s values.

(quote from principal jenson)

Throughout his life, Brown’s best friend and greatest supporter has been Suli. Though Suli is ten months younger, the two are more like twins and have gone from preschool to graduation side by side. Both are planning to go on an LDS mission, and attend college together following that.

“It can be hard not to see [Brown’s Cerebral Palsy] as a burden, but it has truly been a blessing,” Suli said. “Max keeps me humble.”

Though the future holds great things for both the Brown brothers, Highland football will forever remain in their hearts. It has played a great role in shaping them both into the outstanding young men they are today by inspiring hard work, team ethic, and positivity within them. In fact, football means so much to Brown that he hopes to carry the things he has learned with him and someday become a football coach.

Who knows, maybe Highland will be lucky enough to have him back.