Every night, Shane Mallory drives to the Villa Coronado Skilled Nursing Facility from Ocean Beach to go for a walk with Dante Hurteau, where Hurteau is wheeled out of the front doors in his hospital bed.
Mallory drapes him in his favorite Flamingo blanket and they begin their stroll down to the ferry landing.
His backpack is filled with Hurteau’s favorite things – colorful lights to attach to his bed, a bubble gun and a bell to wrap around Hurteau’s hand for him to jingle as they stroll.
Hurteau isn’t able to hold a tight grip anymore because of a condition called spastic quadriplegia. His diagnosis comes alongside cerebral palsy, a seizure disorder, visual impairment and trachea laryngomalacia.
Cerebral palsy is a condition that arises within the first few years of brain development. The degree to which motor control and movement is altered depends on which part of the brain is affected, according to the Cerebral Palsy Foundation.
Hurteau diagnosed at 5 months old
An MRI scan at 5 months old revealed the significant anomaly in Hurteau’s brain. Spastic quadriplegia occurs when both sides of the brain are injured, making it difficult for the brain to send clear messages to both arms and legs.
As a result, the 24 year old is nonverbal, bedridden, and unable to eat for himself. A baclofen pump, tracheostomy and feeding pump have required him to live under 24-hour care for most of his life.
Yet, while Hurteau isn’t able to verbally communicate, it hasn’t hindered his friendship with Mallory.
On a recent walk, they made their first stop to feed the ducks – a ritual that Hurteau loves.
“He can wave his arms around like a mad man,” Mallory smiled, watching Hurteau’s excited reaction. “There are two ducks we’ve gotten to know, one’s a big one. We call him Walter. The other one’s a small one. We named him Julian. The ducks tend to follow us around which is pretty funny. I’ve heard other people from the facility will sometimes walk by with a [bed] like this and the ducks will start following them.”
As they walk, Mallory is attentive to Hurteau’s body language, reading and responding to cues that others may not understand. Hurteau utilizes his gaze to look in the direction of something he wants, and responds to yes or no questions with a smile or grimace.
Beginning of a lifelong bond
The journey of learning those cues began when Hurteau was just five years old. The two friends met when Mallory began dating the boy’s mom, Kendra Thompson. They lived together when Hurteau was ages 13-16.
“The relationship between Shane and Dante is difficult to put into words without getting emotional. Their bond is a beautiful and blessed one. They are best buds, and they are father and son.”
-Kendra Thompson, Hurteau’s mother
“The relationship between Shane and Dante is difficult to put into words without getting emotional,” said Thompson. “Their bond is a beautiful and blessed one. They are best buds, and they are father and son.”
Although Mallory is no longer with Thompson, he still visits Hurteau at the Coronado nursing facility every day, where the young man has lived for the past three years. Their nightly walks down to the ferry started around two years ago, postponed by a year due to the pandemic.
“I always tell people he’s my favorite person on this planet,” said Mallory. “I just want to get him out of the facility. If I don’t take him out, I don’t think he gets out at all. They may get him up in his chair and do some activities with him once in awhile, but if I don’t do it, I’m afraid he’ll be sitting around watching TV.”
When they aren’t walking to the ferry, the two are flying kites at the park, playing with the kittens over at the humane society, or catching the game at Costa Azul.
Coronado community’s warm welcome
Their adventures often go noticed by those who repeatedly see the duo out and about. On this particular night, a lady stopped them on their way to see the flamingos outside of the Marriott Resort & Spa – their second destination of the walk.
“I just wanted to say, I’m visiting and I have seen you walk every night, and I admire you,” said a passerby by the name of Karen. “I’ve been kind of making this loop this week, and just, people like you need to be celebrated. Have a blessed day.”
Mallory thanked the lady, and they carried on with their walk. Interactions like these are common, something that he, Thompson and Hurteau have appreciated since making the move over to the Coronado facility.
“The Coronado community has welcomed Dante. He knows so many people down there on the boardwalk. Everybody stops and talks to him, it’s just such a welcoming community and we could not be more grateful,” said Thompson. “It’s something that really adds to Dante’s quality of life, because he loves to be outside and he loves interaction with people.”
Some residents stop to say hi, while others ask questions.
“People are always curious about Dante,” said Mallory. “Kids will come up and they are just so blunt. They’ll be like, ‘Oh what happened, is he alright?’ It’s good for them to meet someone like him. I always tell them, ‘You’ll probably meet people who are, you know, blind or deaf, people with disabilities just have different lifestyles.’”
Passersby often offer their sympathy – something that Mallory feels isn’t warranted, considering Hurteau’s joyful spirit.
“People always say it’s so sad, but he’s one of the happiest people I’ve known,” said Mallory. “When he genuinely likes something, you can just tell. He just gets so excited and happy. And I’m just like, ‘Boy, I wish I could feel that.’ Nothing in my life has ever made me feel as happy as Dante gets.”
They end their night looking at the ferry lights. Tomorrow, Mallory will be back, wheeling his best friend out for their next adventure.
