https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCM-0lWOxoI&feature=emb_logo
In 2011, Daniel Stein began athletically training people with special needs. He felt a calling to do it, and it didn’t take long for his mission and organization to take off and grow into a huge success.
Daniel has met a number of inspiring people throughout his career, but in the summer of 2019, he began coaching 17-year-old Brandon Neal. Both Daniel and Brandon had their work cut out for them, but their partnership eventually resulted in something that inspired people from all over the world.
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Daniel’s business, Special Strong, allows him to work one-on-one with people with disabilities. He provides physical fitness coaching and training to his clients and also provides parents with information and tips to help their kids reach their goals.
By the time Brandon’s mom signed him up for Special Strong’s free trial, the 17-year-old hadn’t walked in eight years. He was born with a variety of conditions that required numerous surgeries during his childhood. After a hip surgery that doctors said would help him walk better, Brandon became so scared and traumatized by physical therapy that he simply refused to get out of his wheelchair and lost all motivation to learn to walk again.
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Once Brandon and Daniel started working together, Daniel first helped the teenager regain a sense of courage and motivation. Brandon often felt defeated and would say he “couldn’t” do something, and the trainer told him that negative words like “can’t” aren’t allowed. Brandon responded to this and started to show serious progress.
Within a few weeks of training, Brandon was walking a few steps at a time without the help of crutches or his walker. Eventually, the small bits of confidence from each step grew into strength and in less than two months after he started working with Daniel, Brandon was walking completely unassisted.
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Daniel made sure to capture the moment on video, and it quickly became a viral sensation. People from all over the world have watched Brandon conquer his fears and limitations and have found inspiration for themselves as well.
Brandon has gained so much confidence between his sessions with Daniel and the support of people online that he’s now going to school every day without his wheelchair, crutches, or walker to help him get around. He is a (literal) walking example of what people can accomplish when they push their limitations and believe in themselves.
Watch Brandon walk several steps for the first time in years in the video above. Don’t forget to spread the joy and share this story with your friends!
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