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Man bicycling along the Mighty Mississippi for bone marrow donor awareness
Hearing about the need for bone marrow donors is not a commonality in the day-to-day lives of most people. One man is attempting to raise awareness of the need for bone marrow donors by cycling along a route from the origin of the mighty Mississippi River at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to the ending in Louisiana near the Gulf of Mexico.
Steve Matchett retired in April of this year and decided to help raise awareness for the need for bone marrow donors because of personal experiences. "At most, someone who donates will be uncomfortable for a few days, feeling like they have a bruise, but the trade-off is saving the life of another person," says Matchett.
Matchett, at age 72, decided that he had the resources to plan a bicycling journey that would be his contribution to help his former employer and friend, Rick Hendrick, founder of the Hendrick Marrow Program.
On June 9, Matchett began a somewhat strenuous, yet rewarding, trek of covering a bicycle route alongside the Mississippi River from beginning to end.
"Everyone along my route has been extremely accommodating. Every place I've stopped, I've made some sort of connection. I decided too, that along the way when I meet someone who has been affected in some way, as either a donor or recipient of bone marrow, I have had them sign my bike. When I return to Charlotte it will be auctioned off to raise funds for the Hendrick Marrow Program," states Matchett.
Matchett began his journey in his home state of North Carolina where he worked for Rick Hendrick for 26 years. Hendrick is the current owner of the American NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports, and the founder of the Hendrick Marrow Program. For 13 years, Matchett was Hendrick's personal assistant and Matchett watched as Hendrick demonstrated positive acts of humanity toward the people he came in contact with.
Matchett shared two of the personal experiences of seeing the strengths of Hendrick's unwavering compassion for people. Matchett recalls, "I had an operation (while working for Hendrick) and had never been in the hospital before. When I woke, Rick was standing over me holding take-out from my favorite Chinese restaurant. He took the time out of his busy schedule to stop and check on me and make sure I was OK."
On another occasion, Hendrick once again showed his kind-heartedness to a complete stranger. "There was a large conference that offered a breakfast being held where Hendrick was the keynote speaker. The place was sold out. In the back corner of the room, there was a lady sitting in a chair and Rick sent me to find out what was going on. She wanted to hear Hendrick speak and couldn't afford a ticket, so she snuck in at the last minute. Rick gave up his own seat at the front table so that this lady could have a better seat. That's just the kind of man he is," said Matchett.
In 1996, Hendrick was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia. His passion for increasing the need for bone marrow donors began during his battle with the disease. Hendrick never had to receive bone marrow during his treatments, but he was made aware of the need during that time.
Matchett, single and retired, quickly jumped on board to help raise that awareness across the country even more. "I've had other experiences of bike rides across parts of the country. I also have unlimited resources in availability of time and health," he said.
Lake Itasca in Minnesota is the beginning source of the Mississippi River and where Matchett began his bicycling journey.
"I was raised in Okinawa, Japan, and was always fascinated with America and saw the Mississippi River as being the heart of America. When I was 15 years old, I moved here to live with my aunt. Since then, I have been an inventive wanderer. The longest I've ever lived in one place (26 years) is in Charlotte. While on this ride, I have realized some things. I have always seen farms and understood the immense beauty and power of American farms, but I've recently been made aware of the small, and different river towns. The people are fascinating. Everything they do and live by is measured by the river," said Matchett.
To date, Matchett has ridden 1,150 miles along his route. The total route that has been planned out is approximately 2,500 miles, but Matchett doesn't believe that will be the total length of his journey: "I will ride until I reach water and can't ride any more (along the Mississippi). I've already passed my halfway point and that's a delightful thought."
For more information on bone marrow donation, or to read more about Steve Matchett's journey along the Mississippi River, please visit www.marrowquest.org. You may also visit the national website, www.BeTheMatch.org.