Joe Brown, 28, inspired his Carolina classmates, loved the Tar Heels and never gave up

Posted Oct 28, 2018
Joe Brown pressed a button, and slowly, his remote-control wheelchair began to raise his six-foot-four-inch frame to a standing position. Brown loved his chair, and he especially enjoyed that feature. Living with Friedreich’s Ataxia, a rare and debilitating disease that progressively damages the nervous system, he wasn’t able to extend all of his lanky frame. (Durham Herald-Sun)

Related: Campus Connections

3 Carolina seniors win Rhodes scholarships
For the second time ever, the University of North Carolina has three Rhodes scholars in the same year. Seniors Rotimi Kukoyi and Gabrielle Moreau received...
Mon Nov 17, 2025

UNC expands support for military and student veterans with success center
UNC-Chapel Hill unveiled its expanded Military and Veteran Student Success Center this week, a move aimed at better supporting students who are vets and their...
Sun Nov 16, 2025

Get to know the trees on UNC's campus
We seek refuge from the hot sun underneath them, stop and take photos when they change colors in fall and marvel at their height. There...
Sun Nov 16, 2025

Archaeological digs at UNC's New East yield centuries-old relics
On a sunny morning in late April, a group of North Carolina faculty and students hunched down on the ground outside New East and sifted...
Wed Nov 12, 2025