SAN ANTONIO – A 9-year-old boy rolled back into San Antonio in style after traveling across the United States on a motorcycle.
Gaven Quirarte just returned from his “Goat U.S. Tour,” standing for ‘Greatest of All Time Tour,’ to 23 states in 13 days.
Gaven is a child of few words, but he did say that his trip was “cool.”
“It is a roller coaster of emotions,” Jessica Quirarte, Gaven’s mom, said.
For the most part, Gavin is your average 9-year-old. He has a passion for bikes and his friends. Gaven also has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
“Duchenne is fatal,” his mom said. “There’s no cure.”
It impacts his ability to walk, with the likelihood of needing a wheelchair in the near future.
So, his mom, dad, friends, and even his physical therapist do what they can to keep Gaven smiling.
“His love of riding, I think it’s just something that gives him a sense of freedom,” Jessica said. “It allows him to go out on the road and not have to think about DMD.”
Members of the motorcycle group ‘Mile Monsters Inc.’ saw Gaven’s passion and decided to take him on incredible adventures.
“I just think it’s incredible how he has a whole community behind him,” Kassandra Banda, Gaven’s physical therapist, said. “I think as a PT, it’s every dream to see your patient have all of that support.”
This isn’t even his first time bringing the riding community together. In 2023, Gaven rode 4,000 miles on a motorcycle and visited 40 Harley-Davidson locations in Texas.
Now, he has a map of his two-wheeled accomplishments and hopes to make even more stops in the future.
“I’m really proud of him and just very happy to know that he experienced this,” Banda said.
“We’re going to let him live his best life as long as he can, and if he’s happiest on the back of a Harley, we’re going to let him ride,” his mom, Jessica, said.