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"I'll Push You" to make its debut nationwide on Thursday

Posted at 6:46 PM, Oct 30, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-31 00:11:25-04

We first introduced you to Patrick Grey and Justin Skeesuck almost three years ago, training in the Eagle foothills for the unthinkable.

Justin, who suffers from a progressive auto-immune disease wanted to see the Camino Trail in Spain, all 500 miles of it.

His lifelong friend, Patrick said, "I'll push you".

And the idea of an inspirational documentary was born. A movie that will be shown nationwide, this Thursday night.

"The film came about in a strange way, we hadn't set out to do it, so Justin had the idea to take this journey, I was dumb enough to say yes," said Justin Skeesuck.

So when Patrick asked for the time off to travel to Northern Spain with Justin, his boss agree with one condition.

"In order for me to get six weeks off we had to promise to document on film and when I asked him why he said if you don't you are selfish and irresponsible. There's too much hope not to share it," said Patrick.

Justin reached out to an old college friend who just happens to be a filmmaker, his crew was on board from the get-go.

They too had conditions for the trips. They were three only to film, remaining invisible to everyone else and that included lending Patrick a hand as he pushed and pulled Justin through some of most grueling stretches of the journey.

"We were really struggling and he jumped in to help, it's only natural when you see somebody struggling, so hard. You want to help and we said you can't, just film," Justin added.

But dozens of other Camino pilgrims did, complete strangers compelled to help in any way.

As their wives waited for them when they arrived in Santiago, both Patrick and Justin began to realize telling their story would be a challenge in itself.

"We had hundreds of hours of footage and six weeks plus and how do you distill that done into a digestible story that's true that really resonates with people," said Justin.

Patrick hopes when "I'll Push You" hit the silver screen on Thursday, the audiences walk away feeling good about themselves, their neighbors, and new friends they meet along the way.

"To stop focusing on the things that divide us and enhance what we have in common, we all want to be valued, want to be loved and if we can plant that seed in individuals, man, I can overcome the obstacles of life with people at my side. That's a pretty big win," said Patrick.