In 2001, Lee Anne and Ben Barry began bike riding long distances to raise awareness about brain injuries. Lee Anne knew first-hand the difficulties associated with these injuries as she herself suffered a brain injury in a car accident when she was five years old.
The couple continued the tradition until 2007 when Lee Ann and another rider were killed after being hit by a car. But Ben and their son Christian have not given up hope.
On August 26 this year, Ben and Christian Barry embarked on a 5,449 mile ride to continue the tradition that Lee Anne started 9 years ago. Setting out from Orange County, Florida, the Barrys will spread the story of Lee Ann, a woman with a brain injury who defied expectations and “never gave up hope.” Throughout the ride, they will speak with other brain injury victims, encouraging them to live life to the fullest.
Car accidents and other forms of negligence often lead to serious injuries, and brain injuries are among the most traumatic. The Barry’s cross-country ride is designed to inform people throughout the nation about a problem that is often kept quiet. Many people are victims of brain injuries.
In fact, this year, the Barrys left for their ride with two others who had suffered brain injuries: mountain bicyclist Randy Profeta and Josh Lawrence. Josh and his father Harold previously held a long-distance walk to raise brain injury awareness in from Florida to North Carolina.
Source:
“Father, son ride 5,449 miles across country” (Orange County Register, August 26, 2010)
Leave A Comment