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

Roy Williams shares wisdom with Carolina seniors
Roy Williams is a basketball legend, a three-time national champion head coach, and, a proud Carolina alumnus. "You are a graduate of the University of...
Mon May 4, 2026

UNC professor, Nobel laureate Aziz Sancar inspires the next generation
A decade after earning the Nobel Prize in chemistry, UNC School of Medicine professor Dr. Aziz Sancar shows no signs of hanging up his lab...
Sun May 3, 2026

Meet the Carolina Class of 2026
More than 7,100 Tar Heels, including undergraduate, graduate and professional students, will have their Carolina degrees conferred at Spring Commencement on May 9. More than...
Sat May 2, 2026

When a Cold War trip to the USSR turned into a bizarre basketball game for UNC faculty and students
50 yrs ago, one of the most bizarre & hilariously mismatched basketball games in UNC history took place – and almost no one knows about...
Wed Apr 29, 2026