SWANVILLE, Minn. — Editor’s note: This story originally aired in February of 2015. Since then, Ethan Och has continued to thrive.
In 2020, Ethan graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in astrophysics and computer science.
Today, Ethan is living in Swanville and working full-time, remotely, as a software engineer for Northrop Grumman.
Here's Ethan's original story:
As his body weakened from a muscle disease, Ethan Och knew the time had come.
He told his music teacher he'd have to give up his favorite school activity.
"I was lagging behind," Ethan says. "And they were going ahead and there was no way for me to catch up with them."
His teacher, Gina Christopherson, remembers the day Ethan broke the news.
"He said, ‘I really hate to do this, but I have to quit band,’" Christopherson recalls.
If Ethan expected to ride his wheelchair into the band sunset, he picked the wrong director.
"I don't believe in 'I can't,’" Christopherson says.
Today, Ethan is back in the percussion section, drumming on an iPad hooked to an amplifier.
Christopherson got the idea from Ethan himself, the day she saw him playing with a drum app on his smartphone.
"My first day digging through iTunes I downloaded 75 different apps," Christopherson says.
If it worked in the band room, why not in parade? All it took was a car battery, a speaker on wheels, and Ethan’s willingness to give it a try.
"In her mind anything's possible," Ethan says.
"He's part of the team. You don't leave somebody behind," Christopherson says.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more from the Land of 10,000 Stories:
Watch the latest videos from the Land of 10,000 Stories in our YouTube playlist and subscribe to the Land of 10,000 Stories Complete Collection on YouTube.