Marquette Last Stand Man stricken with crippling condition hopes to get to Isle Royale

By Justin Marietti The Mining Journal (Marquette) MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) - In his 33 years of life, Nate Denofre has been many things: student, machinist, fishing and bow-hunting guide, father and much more. But there is one attribute of his life that stands out above all the rest - he has always been a fighter, and a humble one at that. Denofre was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, which left him without legs below the knee. He said that very early on in his life, he was told he may never be able to walk. "I've been doing it for 33 years now," he told The Mining Journal. "There's always someone worse off than you." Not only did he prove those people wrong, but Denofre became even stronger as a result of his condition - learning how to run, swim, and get around just as well as some of his other classmates. However, years of wear and tear on his body and multiple surgeries have left Denofre with congenital spine narrowing in his back, which will eventually progress and leave him with limited mobility. "I've also had two hip replacements on my right hip at Mayo Clinic," he said. "I found out there's maybe about a 30 percent chance at best they'll be able to fix it, and it's major surgery, so I decided against it. I've probably had a dozen surgeries in the last 15 years. I'm just tired of it, to be honest." Ever since he was a boy, Denofre has carried a great affinity for the outdoors, and for the past five years he's been running the Yellow Dog Survival School as a fishing and bow-hunting guide. So naturally, when he found out about his current condition - he wanted to have one more great excursion in the woods before all was said and done. "For some reason, I always feel at home and at peace in the woods," he said. "I remember when I was a little kid, my grandma used to own a sewing shop (near Silver Lake) and John Voelker used to come there and get his fly vest fixed all the time. "I used to constantly hear stories of Wildcat Canyon, Silver Lake, Isle Royale and little fishing holes, and I just became kind of obsessed with it I guess." Denofre, a Negaunee Township resident and Ishpeming High School graduate, decided on Isle Royale as the setting for his "last stand," because it was one of the only sections of the Upper Peninsula he hasn't had the opportunity to explore. "I figured, one more last thing," he said. "I want to do something to set my soul at ease. It's not, and I'm not ready to sit down, to say the least. I said, Custer had his last stand - I should have mine, too, you know?" When Erik Conradson, one of Denofre's childhood friends, became aware of his condition, he decided to do something to make the situation a little easier. That's when he created "Nate's Last Stand," a fundraising effort to cover the expenses needed to send Denofre to Isle Royale this spring. "For as long as I've known (Nate), he has prided himself on working hard for what he has," Conradson said. "He never depended on charity from other people and he has never sought out sympathy. When I learned that Nate has a very limited amount of time left before his body will prevent him from living the way he wants to live, my heart sank. "Here is a guy who made it a point to do things that some people with two legs might not be able to do. He is motivated, adventurous, determined, and in my opinion, fearless. Like it or not, and whether this fits Nate's philosophy, it just isn't fair." Conradson added that a young man in his early 30s who is raising a beautiful little girl, and has made a life out of overcoming obstacles, shouldn't be forced into submission. "Before he loses the ability to move freely though this world, I thought it would be great to help give him a great experience to remember forever," he said. "I wanted to see him be able to experience everything he loves on a grand scale. He has called it 'Nate's Last Stand,' and I think anyone's last stand should be something memorable. I guess to sum all of that up, I just wanted to help a friend." Conradson received help with the fundraiser from Jamie Maki, another one of Denofre's childhood friends. "I asked for her support in doing the leg work on creating an avenue for people to donate money," Conradson said. "She also took it upon herself to set up a donation bank account where people can contribute. She is an amazing person herself and I knew she'd jump at the chance to help." When Denofre found out about the fundraising effort, he said he was at a loss for words. "I was choked up, I was stunned, and that's pretty hard to do," he said. "They did a hell of a good job, and it was amazing. How can I put it; (have) you ever seen 'The Grinch that Stole Christmas,' at the very end, he's on the mountain and his heart gets bigger? That's pretty much what happened to me. I couldn't believe what people were saying on the website. I cleaned my glasses that day. It's the best gift in the world." Published: Wed, Dec 31, 2014