Ride to Give Benefits Boy with Brain Injury
The ride may be arduous, but seven-time Ironman Dave Nazaroff is up to the task. On June 26, Nazaroff will embark on a more than 900-mile long solo bike ride from Nyack, N.Y. to Atlanta, Ga. Nicknamed “The Ride to Give,” the journey is not a test of strength but rather a pronouncement of character. The 5- to 6-day ride will benefit a special 2-year-old named Tripp Halstead, who suffered a serious brain injury some months ago.
Tripp was playing outside when a large tree branch fell on his head, shattering his skull. Since then, he has had to endure 12 rounds of surgery and battle bacteria, flu and meningitis. Tripp has struggled through impossible odds and emerged a fighter.
And he is not the only one. His mother Stacy has fought back by creating her own blog about the experience, openly sharing not just Tripp’s status but also her emotions and need for prayers. Now boasting more than 360,000 Internet surfers checking Tripp’s condition daily, the blog humorously yet sadly shares Stacy’s memories of her son and her hopes for his future.
Dave’s wife Kaete stumbled across Stacy’s blog one day and was instantly struck by the tragedy. “When I looked at Tripp's picture I could not believe his resemblance to our 2-year-old son George. Same age, blond hair, blue eyes, joyful grin. I couldn't shake the thought, ‘What if this was George? What if this happened to us?’ They are an active, fun family just like we are,” she declared.
Soon Kaete was checking the Web constantly to see how Tripp was faring. “There have been so many gains and setbacks. But he is young and resilient and there is hope for him to recover. But they are not sure how much,” she said, noting that since the accident, Tripp has not be able to walk, talk, eat solid food or smile.
Wanting to help, she landed on the idea of her husband Dave doing a bicycle journey, inspired by a ride he had undertaken after the horror of 9/11. “(I) felt the light bulb go off. If Dave could do seven Ironman competitions in four years, why not a ride to Atlanta?” she wondered. Dave was up for it and so the idea took off.
The goal is to raise enough money that Tripp’s mother can stay by his side continually as he continues to recover. In just the first few weeks, the Facebook page they created has 9,500 “likes” and has generated $26,000.
“This story is so much more than about just one sick child. I think the world needs to see that in this crazy, somewhat uncertain day and age there is something that can connect more than a third of a million people. It's a boy's smile, a parent’s love, a community's hope, a stranger’s concern, and the power of prayers from all over the world,” Kaete concluded.
For more information on the “Ride to Give,” visit the Facebook page. For more information about Tripp, visit Tripp’s Facebook page.
Tagged in: causes, fitness, bicycling, ironman, ride to give,
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