Skip to main content

Pedaling for Life

October 28, 2015 by Bruce Brockway

Pedaling for Life

I've been asked by several friends to chronicle our recent Pedal for Life ride from Iowa City to New Orleans but as I organized my thoughts and memories, I quickly realized that it wasn't as much about the ride as it was the impact the ride made in the lives of many, including my own. 

This whole adventure started when my wife's uncle, Dave Full, developed a foundation called Pedal for Life following the passing of our son, Garrett.  Dave "hijacked" his normal cycling group and encouraged them to ride across the country for the great cause of organ donation awareness.  So in July of 2014, these five friends rode from Washington D.C. to Iowa City to do just that.  Nearing the end of their journey, they stopped in Burlington for a small "Welcome back to Iowa" celebration at The Drake Restaurant.  That night, before they had even finished their ride, discussions were underway about the possibilities of next year's ride. Somewhere in this conversation someone made a statement that would alter my life forever, "Bruce, you should join them next year." 

That statement rattled around in my head for several months before I fully embraced it.  In the beginning, it seemed I could only focus on the reasons why I couldn't do this.  I wasn't in great shape, I was overweight and heck, I didn't even own a bike. But soon, those thoughts turned into a positive "I can" as I contemplated purchasing a road bike and diving in.  The cycling season was nearly over when I purchased a used Trek at Bickel's in the fall of 2014 but I rode as much as possible and I began studying what it would take to become a long distance cyclist. As many of you know, I also asked a lot of questions. 

I won't bore you with the details but twelve months later I had logged several thousand miles and a bunch of hours in the saddle.  I was thirty-five pounds lighter and thanks to my friends in Bike Burlington and Team Beast, I had learned a lot about what it took to be a cyclist.

For months, people would ask "When is your big ride?" and I would give them the closest estimate in months which became weeks and eventually just days.  Finally, on October 10th, 2015, the day had finally arrived.  I was full of nervous energy as I thought about what it would take to cycle for the next twelve days straight but shortly after starting, my nerves calmed and I focused on what I had been taught over the past twelve months.  Drink before you're thirsty, eat a little every hour, and keep your heart rate in a comfortable zone to avoid the "Bonk", just to name a few.

As the ride progressed that first day, I realized that something had changed.  Cycling had somehow become second nature to me, like walking or simply breathing.  I found I was able to focus less on the mechanics of riding and I began to enjoy the ride itself as we plowed through headwinds and up hills without much notice. Several days later I shut my odometer off and began concentrating less on the miles and more on the moment. It had almost become euphoric when I realized I was no longer training for the big ride, I was actually riding it.

Honoring the heroes:  Each of us held a different personal reason for the ride but we quickly developed a common purpose as we honored an organ recipient or donor on each segment of the ride.  As the days of our ride progressed, we were met by different Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) in the towns and states in which we rode.  The incredible employees of these OPOs helped coordinate media events and sponsored the many receptions at different hospitals, schools, transplant centers and parks along the way. More importantly, they provided us with information about local donors and recipients in the areas we would ride each particular day.

Every morning, after the bikes were unloaded, water bottles filled, and tires aired, we would start our ride with a briefing about that day's donor or recipient of honor. We then attached a small laminated photo of the honoree to our bikes so we could see their faces throughout the day's journey.  Little did we know the lasting impact these faces and their stories would place upon our hearts.  

In the coming days, we smiled with joy as we saw life in the faces of organ recipients.  We prayed with those who were patiently waiting on the transplant list. We thanked living donors who had unselfishly given part of their life to help another.  And we cried with families whose loved ones had become donors, "Heroes", upon their passing.  Each story was as powerful as the next as the laminated photos began to accumulate on our bikes.

We rode for Domonic, a young man whose life ended too soon from an ATV accident yet thanks to his gifts, others would live.  We rode for Danielle whose  beautiful smile we could see in photos and on the face of her bereaved mother.    We rode for Dougie and Jagger whose young lives were so short but the gifts they gave continue to help others.  We rode for April who helped others after a drunk driver took her life.  We rode for Shawn whose parents still advocate for organ donation awareness twenty years after their loss of a daughter.  We rode one day for my son, Garrett, whose gifts saved five lives and changed many more.

We also rode for those whose lives had been changed thanks to the gifts received through organ, tissue, and marrow donation.  We rode for Scotty who received bone marrow to help with his battle against leukemia. We rode for Timothy, whose life had been saved thanks to a much needed heart. We rode for Deb who patiently waits for a lung transplant and we rode for Luke, a little boy who loves bikes but due to a failing heart cannot ride. 

As a donor dad, it was the honoring of these wonderful people that was most important during this trip.  I wanted other donor families to know that their loved one was not forgotten and that we would hold them close in our hearts even though we had never met.  I wanted the recipients to know the joy that their good health brought to families like mine.  I wanted to let those currently on the transplant list know that we were doing everything we could to encourage others to say "Yes" to donation.

Each man on this nine man crew was inspired by different events and experiences along the way and some of these inspirations happened long before the first mile was pedaled.  Drew Bossen, a PT from Iowa City, had rode the previous year in honor of my son, Garrett, but this year his experiences with organ donation changed after his lifelong friend, Patrick Graham, nearly died from liver failure caused by a rare autoimmune disease.  Thankfully in January 2015, Patrick's life was saved because of the unselfish decision of an organ donor.  This year, Drew would ride for Patrick and after hearing Drew tell of Patrick's story we all found a deeper appreciation for the life that organ donation provides. On October 20, we all rode for Patrick and eventually met him at the conclusion of our trip in New Orleans.

Overall , the trip was incredible.  I never fully comprehended just how far we had traveled until we made the 14 hour car ride home but I could feel the impact we were making from the moment we left Iowa twelve days prior.  This experience will change who I am for many years to come and it has strengthened my commitment to "the cause" of organ donation.  I have also gained many new friends and have been welcomed into a wonderful community of cyclists.

I'm sure if I went back, I could calculate exactly how many miles we pedaled, how many feet of climb we tackled, or even how many salted nut rolls we digested.  But for me, those numbers lost their importance somewhere between here and Memphis.  I think it was at that undefined point that it became less about the ride itself and more about the lives, including our own, that would be affected by the overall journey. 

My sincerest thanks to my wife and daughter who supported me when I was gone so many hours training and to my many cycling friends who taught me so much and helped me prepare for this monumental experience.  Your friendship, advice, and encouragement helped make all of this possible.   

God Bless,

Bruce Brockway

Follow Pedal for Life on Facebook 

Connect Online at PedalForLife.org

Upcoming 2016 Events:

Pedal for Life in North Liberty, IA on May 14, 2016

Garrett's Path 5K + Hero Ride on September 24, 2016

<< Previous | Next >>