Connersville High School freshman and swimmer Broady Gaines was six months old when he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and was given his first wheelchair in elementary school. But at 15, a wheelchair is something you won't find around Broady very often.

“When they gave us his diagnosis, it was, well, he probably won't have a lot of verbal skills, he definitely won't live on his own, he'll probably be wheelchair bound, and he'll definitely have to have help all of his life," said Broady's mom Erica. "We were all very upset and sad, but not knowing what was out there because no one really knows how to navigate a child with cerebral palsy.”

Broady and his family didn't let the diagnosis or lack of information on cerebral palsy dictate his future or slow him down. 

Instead, they did things like walk around Kroger's for hours so Broady could learn to walk when he was little. They embraced every activity Broady pursued from baseball to racing, and never settled for "good enough.”

“It gave him challenges," Erica said as she looked at Broady. "We have goals, don't we?" Broady nodded in agreement. Erica continued, "We're climbing the mountain of defeating cerebral palsy, is what we say.”

On a typical day, you will find Broady walking to his classes at the high school and participating in swim practice after school. However, Broady's extraordinary accomplishments are no accident; they result from hard work, determination, and involvement in what happens next.

“So we have kind of let Broady begin to navigate his medical team and plan and what transpires," Erica said. "Because it's his responsibility to stay out of the wheelchair like he wants to.”

Today, Broady is thriving and remains optimistic despite the daily pain in his legs. He works out with his Dad twice a week and will never give up, and for anyone else facing a challenge like cerebral palsy, Broady shared the advice he lives by: "Keep on going. Keep fighting. Fight it. Don't ever give up. Just keep on going."