LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — On Saturday, Oct. 11, a new monument honoring the unbreakable and inspirational bond between a Kentucky boy and a racehorse is set to be unveiled at the Kentucky Horse Park.
In 2018, with the help of Make-A-Wish, Cody Dorman, who was born with a rare genetic disorder that left him wheelchair bound and nonverbal his entire life, met a five-month-old horse that Dorman’s parents say would go on to be his best friend.
It’s that bond that is the inspiration for this new monument called “The Bond: Two Hearts, One Spirit.”
The artist, Jocelyn Russell, met the Dorman family in 2023 and says she was captivated by Cody’s story and his connection with Cody’s Wish.
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After Cody’s passing later that year, Russell said she knew something had to be done to allow for his story to live on, something Cody’s parents were all in favor of.
“That horse really did have a connection with Cody, and anybody that can experience that, I mean, you literally can run a wheelchair underneath the belly of the horse,” Russell explained. “He is on a very smooth concrete surface, which I think is phenomenal. The whole plaza came together.”
“The magical thing about this whole thing, nobody expected this,” said Cody’s dad Kelly Dorman. “Nobody had ever seen it. Me and Leslie [Cody’s mom] both grew up on farms, been around animals all of our lives, but just never seen it. This was so different in so many different ways. Just very magical.”
Throughout the course of his life, Cody went through more than 40 surgeries.
Despite passing away in 2023, Cody’s parents say their son was a bright young man.
One example, in school, Cody was once asked to name a nonrenewable resource.
While other kids were naming things like fossil fuels, Cody’s answer was life itself.
Kelly said his son’s perseverance and never-quit attitude are something he hopes people take away when visiting this monument.
On the monument, it has a quote Cody lived by: “Because he found me and he hasn’t forgotten me… he has always looked for me. And we have the same heart; we never give up!”
That quote is signed in Cody’s handwriting.
Every single inch of that monument has a story and meaning behind it.
As for how Cody would feel about this monument, his mom, Leslie, says he would’ve been honored.
“I think he would be very honored,” Leslie said. “But things wouldn’t be about him. Like, he didn’t make it about him. But I think he would be he would be very proud. And I know that he would want to thank every single person.”
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Representatives for the horse park say they believe this monument will be a destination because, while very few will live life with the medical conditions Cody had, we all can live with the love and joy he did.
Cody’s story his continuing to live on in addition to the monument through a movie that is in development and a book set to be released in 2026.
The monument dedication ceremony is set for Saturday, October 11, at 9:00 a.m.
For more information about the monument, you can find it here.
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