A Wisconsin high school athlete refuses to leave her brother behind because of physical obstacles.
The Chippewa Falls High School duo takes on cross-country meets together, with 14-year-old Susan Bergemen pushing her 15-year-old brother Jeffrey in a wheelchair designed for the running course.
“He loves running,” she said. “I think it helps me get even closer to my brother.”
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Jeffrey Bergeman’s brain lost oxygen for 20 minutes when he was almost 2 years old, but that isn’t stopping him and his sister from taking on the cross-country trail. He also has cerebral palsy.
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The teenagers’ parents pushed their son in various races during childhood.
“And she looked at me as if I had grown two heads. She’s like, ‘This is not an option — we’re doing it,’” Susan Bergeman’s mother told KARE 11. “I was so proud of her.”
Their track coach called the move “unprecedented.”
“I was worried — we were all worried,” said Chippewa Falls coach Roger Skifstad.
But Bergeman said her brother helps her concentrate on the race.
“Mentally, I just push away the pain and focus on him enjoying it,” she said.
“A sibling bond is stronger than any other bond that you could have.”
