She Can’t Walk And He Is Blind, But Together They’re Reaching New Heights

A blind man and a woman born with spina bifida are beating odds to climb mountain tops and overcome all obstacles together.

Melanie Knecht and Trevor Hahn

Melanie Knecht was born with spina bifida, and Trevor Hahn had lost his eyesight due to glaucoma 5 years ago. “It just seemed like common sense,” Knecht said, “He’s the legs, I’m the eyes — boom! Together, we’re the dream team.”

The Fort Collins, Colorado natives met up first at adaptive boxing class, and again met at an adaptive rock climbing class and got to know of their common love of nature. Knecht had spent her childhood camping and outdoors, and had been to Easter Island recently and climbed steep cliffs in a carrier placed on someone’s back.

 

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Hahn was also an outdoor sports person, and even after he lost his sight, he kept at it. The couple decided to go out into the Colorado wilderness. So Knecht is secured in a carrier, and hoisted by a friend onto Hahn’s back, and he hikes along the trail with her giving him verbal directions. “I describe everything I see and exactly how Trevor needs to move,” Knecht said.

 

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They love the fact that when hiking together, they are able to give the opportunity to each other to do what may seem impossible. “It made me so happy to help someone experience what I’ve been able to experience my whole life,” Hahn said. “Just getting on top of a mountain, a car can’t get to it, you just feel that sense of accomplishment. The best part is being able to make her smile. That gives me purpose.”

 

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Knecht is able to feel free as she says, “I’ve been in a wheelchair my whole life, and it’s an amazing feeling to leave it literally miles behind on the trail. I even couldn’t get in it if I wanted to, and that’s a great feeling,” she said.

They say they love hiking together as they don’t feel a burden to one another. Knecht said that when they depend on whole-bodied people for help, it would seem a burden, but with each other, they know what it means to be disabled and help each other on the journey. “We go a little slower and need to take lots of breaks, but that’s what we both need,” Hahn said.

 

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These two are certainly pushing boundaries and are now encouraging able-bodied people to think more about helping their friends with disabilities. “Ask questions of people with disabilities, to see what they like and what they want to do. Don’t not include them because you think they won’t be able to do something,” Knecht said.

Knecht and Hahn are now going to the next level as they plan to climb a ‘fourteener,’ a mountain that’s higher than 14,000 feet tall. With proper training they are planning to attempt it in August.

These two are such a huge inspiration for all of us and especially for those with disabilities, as they show us that if we make up our mind to achieve something, sky is the limit.

Watch the heartwarming story below.

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