TEMPERANCE -- Braden Gandee is like most other 7-year-old kids.

He likes bowling, playing baseball and, when his family vacations in Mackinac, going swimming. He laughs when he says his favorite subject in school is lunch, and he loves playing video games like Skylanders.

Even though Braden was born with cerebral palsy, most students at Douglas Road Elementary School don't even notice his yellow walker as he gets around the hallways.

Cerebral palsy is a disorder that impacts a person's brain and nervous system function. For Braden, the condition impacts his muscle tone, reflexes and motor coordination.

His family's efforts, particularly those of his older brother Hunter, have raised awareness of the disorder within the Temperance community.

Hunter, a 14-year-old eighth-grade wrestler at Bedford Junior High, continues to be a champion for the cause.

While other students his age are making plans to visit Cedar Point in the summer, he's spent the last two months putting together a project to further raise awareness of cerebral palsy that involves carrying his younger brother 40 miles from their hometown to the University of Michigan.

Wrestling a shared passion

Hunter started junior high as a multi-sport athlete with a love of basketball. As he wraps up eighth grade this month, his interests in other sports have narrowed as his love for wrestling blossomed.

"I never thought I would wrestle," Hunter said. "I thought for sure I was going to play basketball in high school. The reason that I'm wrestling is this guy right here (squeezing his brother's shoulders). He loves the sport, and goes crazy just cheering everyone on."

Hunter is the oldest of the four Gandee children. His sister Kerragan, 13 years old, is one grade below him at Bedford Junior High. They also have a younger brother Kellen, 6 years old, in kindergarten.

Braden, who keeps his brother's stats, sits mat-side for all of Hunter's matches. He wears a Bedford Junior High wrestling shirt given to him by coach Matt Andrews.

"Braden was in all our photos when we won tournaments," Hunter said. "He just loves it, and the team loves him."

Braden's goal is to join Bedford's youth wrestling team himself.

Students with cerebral palsy who wrestle at Saline High School and Perrysburg have reached out to the Gandees. Their stories serve as inspiration for Braden as he works in physical therapy to get on the mat.

"I like it because it's hard, and it's just you," Braden said, smiling. "Me and Kellen had a couple matches earlier."

From left, Hunter Gandee, 14, holds his brother Braden, 7, while their youngest brother Kellen, 6, sits in his 13-year-old sister Kerragen's lap as they all goof around in the wrestling room at Bedford Junior High School on June 4, 2014. Hunter is planning a 40-mile walk carrying Braden, who has Cerebral Palsy, on his back, to raise awareness for the disorder. Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News

Shining a spotlight

Hunter, an active member of Bedford's Student Council and President of National Junior Honor Society, spent the month of March selling green CP wrist bands to students during lunch hours for cerebral palsy awareness month.

He raised $350 selling them at a dollar each, but his main goal wasn't the money.

"We want kids to understand Braden," Hunter said.

While the Temperance community has embraced Hunter's younger brother, not everyone understands cerebral palsy or the needs of children who have the disorder.

He spent the next few weeks thinking about a way he might bring more awareness to the cause.

"One night my mother had a dream of me carrying Braden from our house to Mackinac," Hunter said. "She shared the story with me, and we liked the generally idea of it."

Hunter hopes the 40-mile walk will inspire future engineers, therapists and students in the medical field to develop ideas for mobility aides and medical procedures for those with cerebral palsy.

Braden's mother Danielle Gandee pointed to her son's walker as an example.

"He gets around fast using his walker except it's really a struggle for him on mulch, grass and gravel," she said. "We need someone to see that it doesn't work in sand, or snow, and maybe we can find someone who can make one with interchangeable wheels. We just want to get people thinking."

The family's efforts haven't gone unnoticed.

"We get letters, and pictures, of kids thanking us for bringing awareness to the world for showing what cerebral palsy is, and making connections for everybody," Danielle said. "It's just huge. It makes me proud of Hunter."

Cerebral Palsy Swagger

The walk starts at 8 a.m. Saturday from the Bedford Junior High wrestling room.

With more than 100 people expected to be in the gym, the kickoff for walk will have a pep-rally-like atmosphere. Many of the community members joining the family are expected to walk with them for the first mile.

"We have such an amazing community, Braden is everyone's little brother," Danielle said. "He is so social all over the community that he's kind of grown up with everyone."

Hunter has also received support from many local schools, and their wrestling teams, including Bedford's primary rival Dundee.

When Hunter reached out to the University of Michigan wrestling team to see about using its Bahna Wrestling Center for the end point of the walk, coach Joe McFarland didn't hesitate to throw his support behind the project.

"One day he just stopped by, to tell us the plan and ask our permission," McFarland said. "We spent some time with the family, and were excited to be a part of it any way we could. He was actually carrying his little brother around. You could see the love they had for each other."

Hunter made an immediate impression on McFarland, a U-M alum and former four-time All-American wrestler.

"It's an incredible feat," McFarland said. "What does it say about the kind of maturity he has? It's just an incredible thing."

The Bedford Junior High School marquee reads "Go Hunter and Braden!" as it advertises their 40-mile walk outside of the school on Wednesday, June 04, 2014. Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News

Michigan wrestler Chris Heald contacted the family personally to let them know he wanted to join in on the walk. Other wrestlers, members of the Wolverines coaching staff and faculty are planning to be there when Hunter arrives at the Bahna Wrestling Center Sunday at 2 p.m.

"We are going to have as many guys there as we can, as many that are in town," McFarland said. "Wrestling is a close community, and our guys want to show their appreciation for what Hunter is doing."

Hunter is hoping to go 25 miles on Saturday then the final 15 miles Sunday. He expects to travel three miles every 50 minutes with small breaks every hour. He will take a longer break for lunch in Dundee.

His entire family, who helped him plan the exact route using Google maps, will join him on the 40-mile walk.

"We actually were driving it the other day, and saw a bridge was out, so we had to make a few small changes," Hunter said, laughing.

Hunter will carry Braden in a specially designed carrier built by one of his therapists. The pack has straps that disperse the pressure on Hunter's back, and means Braden doesn't have to hold on to his brother's shoulders the entire time.

"When I carry him normally, he has to have his arms around my neck, and he cramps up," Hunter said. "This will allow the blood to flow, and let him stretch his arms out more."

The harness has presented one tiny complication.

"When we were testing it out Braden started pulling out the hairs on the back of Hunter's neck," Danielle said, smiling. "He was kind of limited before, but now the pack allows him to move around."

As for Braden's thoughts on the walks, his response was a simple one.

"I'm excited," he said, with a huge smile. "Why wouldn't I be excited?"

Michael Niziolek covers local sports for MLive Ann Arbor News. Email him at mniziole@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+