Giant Steps for Cerebral Palsy

One Michigan man is taking big steps to help raise money for Cerebral Palsy this weekend.

Neil Sauter suffers from the physical disability, but the nature of the disease actually lends itself to stilt walking. Sauter used to wear ankle braces while he was learning to walk properly. Little did he know, at the time, that it would be perfect practice for walking five feet in the air.

“My entertainment for the day is watching cars go by. I get people that are doing double takes at me. Some people don’t even know what I’m doing but they’re like ‘Woohoo! Guy on stilts!’ So the response I get is overwhelmingly positive. I’m sure people are thinking ‘This guy’s an idiot,’ but they don’t bother me. They just let me be. It’s really cool to see all the responses and all the kindness I get along the way actually,” explained Sauter.

Neil started walking through downtown Marquette this afternoon and plans to be at Congress Pizza in Ishpeming by 8 tonight for a meet and greet fundraiser where he’ll most likely be asked: Why the stilts?

“I guess I just want to send the message that all people have talents. Just because you have a disability that shouldn’t stop you, go out there and do the best with the abilities that you have,” Sauter added.

If you’d like to help Neil you can make roadside donations. He’ll be walking again tomorrow from Escanaba to Gladstone Public Library at 9 a.m., and should be easy enough to spot.

www.walkfornolimits.org