The week of Thanksgiving in 2008, our family received genetic test results that confirmed the diagnosis of Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA) in our 8-year-old son, Sam. 

FA is a degenerative, neuromuscular disease for which there is no cure. The “doctor journey” to find an explanation had begun a year or more before, as we watched Sam begin to stumble, fall, and become increasingly unbalanced as he walked and ran. 

To describe our family as completely devastated upon receiving that news, would be a fair assessment.  We were heartsick for our child and fearful for what potentially was ahead. 

Though we knew our lives were going to be rearranged to include tons of doctor’s appointments, scans, surgeries, wheelchairs, and the like – we didn’t foresee at the time that our lives were also going to be filled with adventure, opportunities, friendships, and a host of generous and giving people who made a forever impact on us - in the middle of this storm. 

But that is exactly how Jesus authored our story, and continues still to this today, in His plan for our family and others.   

After a decade long battle with FA, we lost Sam in 2018, not too long after his 18th birthday.  We know that he received the complete healing of his body the day Christ took him to his eternal home. Sam looked so forward to when “he could walk with Jesus”, and it’s a real consolation to know that this is exactly our son's reality today. Hebrews 11 reminds us that “faith is confidence in what we hope for, and assurance about what we do not see.”  While we mourn the loss and absence of him, we rejoice for what Sam gained through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ – and that is where our faith lies. 

One of the bright spots in Sam’s life were the opportunities he and Wade (dad) shared while hunting.  Various organizations crossed our paths through the years that opened the doors to adaptive hunting - just when we thought those experiences would be forever lost to disability and illness.  We know firsthand the tremendous and positive impact that those hunting adventures had on our lives and outlooks.  They restored hope, provided a break from the mundane routines of life, and became the fuel for the manufacturing of many memories and good times. 

It is in that very same spirit of adventure, friendship, and love of the outdoors, that Sam’s Legacy Hunting Adventures was birthed.  Because of the progressive nature of Sam’s illness and the longer FA took its toll on him he required a more complex approach to hunting.  

We have a deep desire to connect with those individuals who can finally realize the dream of hunting game, no matter the level of disability they may present with, or the needs they may have.  Our team of guides, along with our adaptive equipment, will work hard to provide our hunters with a safe and successful hunt – and hopefully foster friendships that will continue long after the hunt is over. 

That is the dream and this is our story.  It is an honor for us to be able to “give back.” 

Thank you for visiting our site.  

Love,

Wade & Annie Brown