Jacob Giasomo and his godfather Larry LeBron Jordan Lee have traveled the U.S. together, visiting landmarks like Mount Rushmore and the Grand Canyon
Credit: Jacob Giasomo
NEED TO KNOW
- Jacob Giasomo became his godfather Larry LeBron Jordan Lee’s caregiver at 18 while balancing his carpentry career
- The pair has traveled the U.S. together, visiting landmarks like Mount Rushmore and the Grand Canyon
- Their adventures, shared on TikTok, have inspired thousands and helped Giasomo overcome social anxiety
When Jacob Giasomo graduated from technical college at 18 with an associate degree in carpentry technology, he thought he was stepping into adulthood focused on building his own future.
At the same time, his godfather, Larry LeBron Jordan Lee, was preparing for a major change of his own.
Jordan Lee, who has cerebral palsy, was moving from Buffalo, N.Y., to St. Louis, Mo., where Giasomo and his family lived. The plan, according to Giasomo, was simple: help Jordan Lee get settled temporarily while he figured out long-term support and resources in the area.
But somewhere between doctor appointments, construction jobs and everyday routines, the arrangement slowly became a life together.
Giasomo began bringing Jordan Lee to carpentry jobs with him around St. Louis. The pair spent more time together, developed inside jokes and eventually started dreaming about traveling beyond Missouri — something neither of them had ever really been able to do before.
Now, seven years later, Giasomo, 25, and Jordan Lee, 60, spend nearly every day side-by-side — whether they’re working together, sleeping in a van during road trips or crossing items off Jordan Lee’s ever-growing bucket list.
“We jokingly say he’s my foreman,” Giasomo, who is now officially Jordan Lee’s caretaker, tells PEOPLE exclusively.
Credit: Jacob Giasomo
As the pair spent more time together, Giasomo says he began realizing just how many experiences and opportunities Jordan Lee had missed out on over the years simply because of physical and financial limitations. The realization stuck with him.
“When I first started taking care of Larry, I realized the stark differences in people’s lives,” he says. “If I want to go somewhere, I simply can. That’s not reality for everybody physically or financially.”
At first, Giasomo balanced caregiving while growing his construction business. Then, about two years ago, after he officially began getting paid as Jordan Lee’s caregiver, the pair realized they finally had enough stability to attempt something they had long talked about: traveling the country together.
Their mission? Help Jordan Lee experience as much of the world as possible.
@larrys_dream
Today marks our first official New England road trip day, Connecticut here we come! #connecticut #livelikelarry #roadtrip #fyp #Caregiver
♬ original sound – larrys_dream
One of Jordan Lee’s biggest dreams, according to Giasomo, is to visit all 50 states. Neither of them had traveled much growing up, so the pair packed up their van and hit the road, often relying on food pantries, campsites and makeshift meals cooked in state parks to keep costs down.
“We wanted to see things we never thought we’d get to see,” Giasomo says, recalling visits to places like Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon and Sequoia National Park.
@larrys_dream
Tour of our home! Fort Williams park Portland Maine 9th day of our New England road trip.#livelikelarry #portlandmaine #fortwilliamspark #fyp #travel
♬ original sound – larrys_dream
One of the first major stops on their trip was South Dakota, where the duo attended a Native American powwow that Giasomo says deeply impacted him.
The pair camped there for free while strangers fed them and welcomed them into the community.
“They had such a deep respect for the Earth, their elders, their women and children,” Giasomo recalls. “That definitely started something in me.”
Some of Giasomo’s favorite memories from the journey, however, are the quieter moments.
While climbing a mountain in Sequoia National Park — pulling Jordan Lee’s wheelchair while carrying the pair’s pet rabbit Oreo on his back — Giasomo says he became exhausted and stopped to rest inside a hollowed-out tree.
That’s when a deer suddenly wandered inside.
“It was just all four of us — me, Larry, Oreo and this deer,” he recalls. “There’s hundreds of moments that feel like pure magic.”
@larrys_dream
Flying around Arkansas State Park #arkansasstatefair #fyp #livingmybestlife
♬ Wanderlust – Degraus
The journey hasn’t always been easy.
During one stop in Las Vegas, someone stole Jordan Lee’s wheelchair off the back of their van. The pair had to scramble to find a replacement chair before starting their day's exploration. Hours later, Giasomo realized they ended up accidentally walking more than 12 miles across the city before making the long trek back overnight.
By the time they returned to their hotel the next morning, Giasomo says they stumbled upon a blowing $100 bill that covered both their room and food.
“We left Vegas completely even,” he says. “And I had just walked my first marathon.”
Credit: Jacob Giasomo
Still, Giasomo says the most meaningful part of the experience has been watching Jordan Lee connect with people everywhere they go.
“Larry always says you only live once,” Giasomo says. “He really lives life to the fullest.”
According to Giasomo, Jordan Lee constantly encourages him to strike up conversations with strangers — especially children with disabilities who may feel isolated or discouraged.
“Larry makes us go over and become their friend,” he says. “He tries to inspire them and show them that if he can travel and have friends and live life to the fullest, so can they.”
@larrys_dream
#explore #UK #wheelchair #cerbralpalsy #fyp #travel
♬ Runaway – AURORA
Over time, Giasomo began documenting their adventures online simply to keep friends and family updated on where they were traveling. Eventually, after years of people encouraging the pair to share more of their story, he started posting videos to TikTok.
Since then, their videos — which show everything from sleeping in their van and cooking meals at campsites to pushing Jordan Lee’s wheelchair through national parks — have amassed hundreds of thousands of views, with viewers regularly commenting about how inspired they are by the pair’s friendship and outlook on life.
“I was just doing what I felt was right and what my mother taught me,” Giasomo says. “I didn’t realize how much it touched people.”
@larrys_dream
8th day of our New England road trip 1st day in Maine from Portsmouth NH to Portland Maine #livelikelarry #Portlandmaine #roadtrip #fyp #newengland
♬ original sound – larrys_dream
The pair is continuing their travels while celebrating Jordan Lee’s milestone 60th birthday. Earlier this month, they returned to Buffalo, where roughly 75 friends, family members and even some of Jordan Lee’s former teachers gathered to celebrate him.
From there, they continued their latest adventure through New England — though Giasomo says Jordan Lee is already thinking even bigger.
“The more we travel, the more he adds onto the bucket list,” Giasomo says with a laugh. “He’s extremely ambitious.”
“I plan on being Larry’s caregiver until he passes,” Giasomo adds. “Then helping others in similar situations.”
Read the full article here
