(ROCKWALL, TX – Jan. 17, 2017) Kenny Hargrove has always been a man who gives to others, but never expects anything in return. The longtime Rockwall resident treats strangers like friends, and friends like family. Having survived a terrible accident in 2005 which left him paralyzed from the waist down, he continues to live his life by three words – others before self.
“I tell people I was given such a huge heart because there are so many people I keep in it,” Kenny said.
Yet he never knew just how many people his kindness, generosity, openness and genuineness had impacted until a few weeks ago when one of his best friends, Wesley Graves, invited him to dinner at La Madeleine the night of Jan. 6. That night, Kenny experienced the most humbling moment of his life.
Earlier that week Kenny and Wesley were hanging out talking about handcycles. Kenny recalled the first time he ever rode one at a handcycle clinic at a park in Irving, put on by “Support, Challenge, Inspire!”, a community outreach program of the Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation for those living with spinal cord injuries. At the clinic, Kenny met a man who had a recumbent racing handbike in the back of his lowered truck. The man invited Kenny to take his handbike for a spin, which Kenny eagerly accepted. The man offered to ride along with Kenny on one of his other bikes, and before they both knew it, Kenny – who works out often and has impressive upper body strength – found himself zipping around the park so fast the man couldn’t keep up with him.
“As soon as I turned those pedals two times and felt that wind, I was hooked,” Kenny said.
He rode for two and a half hours. To Kenny, it felt like no time at all as he rode at an average of 18 miles per hour alongside others from the clinic. The excitement of riding the handbike has stuck with Kenny to this day.
“When I talk about or think about it, I light up. I’ve only done it once, but that one time has stuck with me ever since,” he said.
Kenny started saving up money to buy a used handbike, but by the time he had saved up the $3000 for it, he developed an internal infection in his arm and was hospitalized for four days. He ended up having to use his handcycle money to pay for his medical bills.
When Wesley heard Kenny talk about the handbike and his unfortunate setback, he found the perfect opportunity to put into practice a New Year’s resolution he had made – to do something nice for someone every day.
Wesley asked Kenny if he had thought about setting up a GoFundMe account to raise money for the bike. But Kenny – always one to want to give but not expect anything in return – quickly shot the idea down.
Shortly after Kenny left, Wesley went upstairs and started doing a little research on the handbike Kenny wanted. He found it would end up costing $8,950, which at the time he thought would be a bit of a stretch. But he kept thinking about how nice it would be to set up a GoFundMe for Kenny and surprise him with the bike he longed for, to give back to a guy with a heart of gold.
“I rarely see Kenny, and on my sons’ birthdays they’ll get cards from him,” Wesley said. “He’s always going that extra mile for his friends. So that night he talked about this bike I start thinking about everything he does for people and I’m like, we have to do this for him.”
Within 15 minutes after he set up the GoFundMe account, he received a donation from a friend (who wished to remain anonymous) of $3,000.
“It just took off. It was like Christmas, knowing that you’re going to give your kids a present that they can’t wait to get,” Wesley said.
According to Wesley, roughly 50 percent – around $4,000 – was raised within the first hour. The next morning the fund was at $7,000. By 9 a.m. the following day it had hit its mark.
“I was just blown away,” he said, “and it just kept growing and growing. People were calling and texting me and everyone just started having a lot of fun with it.”
On Friday, Jan. 6, Wesley invited Kenny to dinner at La Madeleine to reveal the great news. It was a nerve-wracking experience, Wesley said. “The night we came up to meet I was beyond nervous. Like I was telling everyone afterwards, it wasn’t because I was giving this gift to Kenny, I just didn’t know how he would perceive it, because he’s a guy that gives and gives but doesn’t want anything in return.”
Capturing the moment on Facebook Live, Wesley slid a piece of paper – a printout of the GoFundMe account – over to Kenny and asked him to read it. The next piece of paper Wesley produced for Kenny showed the amount raised.
“He hands me the amount raised and I was floored,” Kenny said.
Although enough funds had been raised for the bike, Wesley decided not to take the GoFundMe down in order to give those who still wanted to donate to the cause a chance to do just that. At the time of this writing, the fund has reached $12,770 with 119 people having made donations, a strong testament to the impact Kenny has made on so many within the community.
After browsing the comments left on Facebook, Kenny said he recognized the names of some he has known for a long time, some he has only talked to on occasion, and others he didn’t know at all. He was shocked to see just how many people, even those he hadn’t ever met in his life, had contributed to the GoFundMe for his handbike.
“It was one of those eye-opening moments,” he said. “I know people care about me. I’m not the Kenny everyone loves without Wes, his family, and all my close friends.”
The timing of this special moment also holds significance, as it occurred just one day before the 22nd anniversary of his father’s passing. Kenny said growing up as an only child without a father was difficult, but he’s very thankful for his mom, as well as his friends and their families for taking him in as one of their own. The 36-year-old has the ink on his arms to show that gratitude, a tattoo representing the three luck charms in his life – his mom, his family and his friends.
“I’m lucky to have those people in my life,” he said. “Without them I’m not me and without them, I’m probably not still here.”
Kenny said it’ll take some time to have the handbike customized to his needs, but as soon as he gets it he and some friends will go riding around White Rock Lake. He hopes to participate in marathons this year, and also aspires to pay it forward by becoming a counselor or mentor.
“I’m here for a reason, and I think it’s taken this past year for me to finally figure out why. I put myself out there for people no matter what, and this counseling thing is something I’m really looking forward to. This handcycle thing was just a wish in my head, and at some point I would get around to it, but I wanted to start with the counseling,” he said.
For Wesley, sharing that special moment with Kenny defined the true meaning of friendship.
“If you’re really friends with someone, you want them to be happy,” Wesley said. “And if you can find a way to make them happy, that’s called brotherhood. That’s friendship.”
Those who’d like to donate to the fund can visit gofundme.com/kennysbike#.
By Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News. Photo courtesy of Wesley Graves.
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