Pedal for Life Seeks Riders for Organ Donation Awareness

Tue April 28 2015
Posted Apr 28, 2015
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On Saturday, June 13, 2015, Pedal for Life will host its First Annual “Organ Trail” bike ride to raise awareness for organ donation, and organizers are encouraging registrations among Iowans who want to join the effort to save lives.

Sponsored by Pedal for Life, Garrett’s Path and the Iowa Donor Network, Organ Trail registration is both easy to complete and affordable, says Pedal for Life Founder Dave Full.

Riders simply visit http://bit.ly/1am82fC and complete the Organ Trail registration form.

All proceeds from the $30 registration fee go towards raising awareness for organ donation, and riders will receive a Dri-fit t-shirt, a water bottle and other perks. “Just by registering, riders are helping to raise awareness for organ donation and, ultimately, saving lives,” Full said, adding that on any given day more than 100,000 Americans are waiting for an organ transplant. “It's all about life and death, a very powerful concept.” Riders who have already registered hail from towns across Iowa, including Fort Madison, Marshalltown, Solon, Polk City, West Branch, Clarence, Burlington, and Danville, just to name a few.

On the morning of the event, riders will pick up their registration packets at the Iowa Donor Network Office on Penn Street in North Liberty, IA. From there, riders can choose between two looping routes, either 20 miles or 40 miles, passing through Oxford, Tiffin, Windham and Cosgrove. To see a map of the two routes, go to http://bit.ly/1aWcLWn.

Leslie Becker of Carlisle, IA, says organ donation saved her life – twice! “As a Type 1 diabetic since childhood, my pancreas and kidneys shut down completely when I was 32 years old, requiring hours and hours of dialysis each week,” she said, explaining that one kidney and her pancreas were replaced in October 2004. Eight years later, the first donated pancreas failed, requiring a second transplant which took two years of waiting to finally occur. “After a 12-hour surgery on February 28, 2013, I was given the gift of a pancreas from a 10-year-old boy who died in a freak accident,” Becker said. “Without the generosity of his parents, I probably wouldn’t be alive today.”

On Oct. 10, Pedal for Life cyclists will begin making a second annual Raising Awareness cross-country ride, covering 1,200 miles in 12 days. This year their destination will be the Donate Life annual convention in New Orleans.

About Pedal for Life
Pedal for Life is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that seeks to shed light on the need for organ donors. To learn how you can get involved and donate, visit www.pedalforlife.org.