BROOKINGS — This Friday, Brad Schmidt aims to set a world record for chest-to-ground burpees while also raising donations for families of children with special needs.

“The easiest way to explain (burpees) would be to fall down on your chest and then get back up again,” Schmidt said. “The current record is 9,119 in 24 hours. So I’ll have to do at least one more than that.”

He invites the public to watch, exercise with him and make free will donations to the nonprofit My Special Life between 8 a.m. Friday, Feb. 7, and 8 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at CrossFit Gym in Brookings.

“It’s to essentially walk a mile in somebody else’s shoes a little bit — somebody who goes through something very difficult and very hard every day,” Schmidt said. “Burpees are a full body exercise, and that’s why I like it. One of my favorite shirts that I have … says, ‘Burpees are like life. You fall down, and then you get back up again.’ I have that shirt and it’s kind of a testament to how life is.”

Three years ago, Schmidt’s son Rogan was born with a rare genetic condition called Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome.

“Seeing everything that he’s gone through on a daily basis through his three years of life inspired me to go for something crazy,” Schmidt said. “He definitely smiles seeing me do (burpees). He might think I’m crazy, but that’s okay. He’s set an example for me. It’s kind of crazy that your 3-year old would set an example for you, but he really has. I want to turn that around a little bit and set an example for him. Even with a disability, you can do anything that you put your mind to.”

He said Rogan has faced a lot of challenges.

“(Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome) is your body’s inability to create cholesterol, and cholesterol is the building block of everything in your body,” Schmidt said. “One of the things with Smith-Lemli-Opitz is no drive for food. He still doesn’t take any food by mouth at all. Everything is placed through his G-tube for food. Then also he has a diagnosis of autism that he got at a year or two old.”

Schmidt said he and his wife quickly learned what families with special needs kids go through.

“When you have a child with special needs, there’s a lot of different things that come with it,” he said. “There’s need for medical equipment, medication or just support in general. A lot of insurance companies don’t cover medications that are needed … because they’re not technically FDA approved if they’re made specifically for that individual. So insurance companies won’t cover it, and you’re paying a lot of expenses out of pocket.”

That experience made him want to help others by founding the nonprofit My Special Life.

“We’re in the process right now of starting a nonprofit to help families that have just come down with a diagnosis,” Schmidt said. “That’s where we were three years ago. Now, we’re just wanting to help people go through these processes and be able to find the things they need and help with funding that they need.”

Through Rogan, Schmidt sees life as a series of burpees — standing up again after falling down.

“After putting my body through a lot in high school, I was kind of like eh I really don’t want to do this workout thing anymore,” Schmidt said. “So I kind of let my body get away from me a bit. Then having Rogan inspired me. I wanted to get back in shape and be a good dad. I want to be a good husband. And I’ve been training for this the last year or year and a half or so — just trying to prepare for it.”

He encourages people to exercise alongside him.

“On (https://crossfitbrookings.com) there’s a sign-up, so if people want they can come at the top of every hour and do some burpees with me,” Schmidt said. “Why not set the bar really high and go for something that’s way out there that people wouldn’t think that you can or should do?”

He said people grow stronger when they embrace challenges with a positive attitude.

“(Rogan) does it every single day with a smile on his face … If he can do it every day, I figure I can do it at least one day. That’s the meaning behind this,” Schmidt said. “I’m not doing it for me. I’m doing it to help show others that they too can challenge themselves to be better people. Be better parents, siblings, brothers, sisters and everything like that — just through a little bit of strain.”

Email Jay Roe at jroe@brookingsregister.com.