Riding in the Shadows

Crossing the bridge over the Straits of Mackinac, which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, the vastness of the water reminded me of being in the Navy. Looking in as far as you can see, from the turret to the horizon, beautiful blue water. The blue hue of the water started out a light blue, like faded jeans, and eventually turned into dark blue which looked like the Corsair paint scheme on a WWII aircraft.

Standing in the parking lot earlier in the morning, before we left, it was a fairly warm type of morning. But once we crossed over the Mackinac bridge it became apparent that leathers and longjohns were a good choice for the day.

The road we took after crossing the bridge bordered one of the Great Lakes and it was like being in a moving picture. I could feel the sun coming up over the trees, and the chill in the air could be seen. The sun touched my leather and it felt like a welcome guest embracing me. We rolled along this stretch of highway, riding in the shadows of the firs and pines. The morning was crisp, and the scent of the pines was a pleasant, clean smell.

Mutt

The Sun Made An Appearance

May 25, 2023

We made it to the Northeast corner. What a tough way to break in rookies. And old riders. Almost 2 of the worst days I have ridden in my life. Hot pizza at the hotel last night, and the last 100 miles today were 10 degrees warmer. The appearance of sunshine makes a great end-of-the-day surprise.

Gary

Wet and Cold!

Good morning guys from Augusta, Maine. Lots of traffic yesterday turned into lots of rain, with temps down in the 40s. It was after nine last night when the cold and wet riders arrive at the motel. I got some rain into the throttle body causing the bike to sputter. It would barely go 60mph in 6th gear! After about 15 minutes of limping along, it finally cleared up and rode the last 10 to 15 minutes at full power again. My fault for not having the rain sock on the air breather.

Andy Whatley

Why Do They Ride For That Boy?

The planning it takes to put this ride together is a lot of work. Work that starts in October for a May ride. There’s the ride planning, the personal planning, the financial planning, the media planning, and we even had a meeting to plan about the plan. It all adds up when we finally get to pull out of town. Thanks to everyone who came downtown, it was a wonderful send-off. Also, a special thank you to the CPD Motor Squad for getting us on the road safely.

This year, I’d like to take questions and make this interactive for you and me. What’s your favorite part of the ride? Going out west. What is the worst city to ride through? New York City, but we’ll take a crack at LA this year, so stand by. What’s your favorite thing to eat? Gas station sushi or roller dogs…NOT…cheeseburgers. It’s really hard to mess up a cheeseburger! What or who do you miss the most? Easy, my wife, but it’s a close second with the grandkids. Speaking of grandkids, my sweet little Piper asked a question. She watches our YouTube videos, and she was in a commercial that we filmed, so she likes to watch herself. She asked, “Why do the Miracle Riders ride for that little boy who drowned?” So let me answer. Fundraising is critical. The support we are able to provide with your help is truly making an impact.

However, telling the story. We are telling the story of children in Columbus, telling the story of WHY we ride is just as important.

Piper, it is important that we tell the story of Lyle Meeks. We need to recognize the joy he brought to his family. We need to celebrate a child's life, even if it's far too short for us. We must honor it.

Brian Brock

The Six Foot Ladder Didn't Stop Us

We left in anticipation of the rain today. And it didn't disappoint from Columbus to Atlanta. Rain may have made it difficult to navigate through heavy traffic but we worked together to work our way through tight spots- especially through Atlanta. The six-foot ladder that lay in the middle of six lanes of traffic today and the thread-worn tire that rolled down the middle of us are hazardous obstacles we faced in the first hours of our trip. We made it to North Carolina and had Mexican food for dinner, which is always a morale booster. We will head to bed soon because we have many miles tomorrow and this is only the beginning.

As I lay down tonight, my thoughts are on what lies ahead, because I have already reflected many times today on what our ride simulates or replicates. The mother and baby are in a high-risk birth circumstance. The nurse who is in a birthing situation she knows is critical and the care of the baby after. The unknown of those nursing students when they head out into the field. How equipment and education and preparation can make all the difference. Preparation is the key to success mainly because of the unknown, and practice definitely gives confidence. 

When we come across those obstacles on the road like we did today we rely on our experience and the skills we have obtained as riders. This makes all the difference in the world, and I hope it will to the students who are able to go through the labor and delivery simulations to reach their goals as confident, successful nurses. 

I know that each day we ride will bring us closer to our goal and that anticipation will help me get up in the morning bright and early for day 2!

Mutt

There Was a Story To Tell

In 2009 I stood in front of a grumpy man. It was the first ride and Scott was getting ready to

leave among a crowd of well-wishers, family, and the dreaded media. You see, he wasn’t

comfortable with the attention, and he certainly didn’t want to talk in front of a crowd. Like

now he just wanted to get on his motorcycle and ride. But there was a story to tell, a bigger

story than him riding a motorcycle, it was about the kids. That changed everything! While he

still isn’t a seeker of the spotlight, he has become passionate about helping children.

Others before him and since him have felt the same way until they realized that by telling their

personal story they could help others. They became more a part of the community not

Individuals and they found comfort and cause in it. Dr. Mary Schley was the same. She and her

husband’s careers were devoted to helping children in their pediatric practices. She lent her

story to me after some gentle persuasion explaining that she could make a difference in our

community by sharing it.

Martin Thiele shared his story as well as Andrew Wade, Lacey Conners, Kenny and Terry

Townsend, and Isa Meeks. Some were stories of survival and others were not. However, every

story told became part of the fabric of our community and gave light to what we could do to

make it better for chidren.

Wanda Amos has a unique perspective on her ability to overcome her aversion to being in front

of a camera or speaking to a crowd. She, like all the others give from the heart. Wanda believes

if her story is told it might inspire others to give of themselves, their time, and their talents to

better their community.

This ride with the remarkable men associated with it and the causes we have supported is all

about our community and our ability to make it better. Babies have rested safely in high tech

incubators in the NICU and been transported safely in a neonatal transport to quality care.

Children have been fed and felt loved; nurses given the very best equipment possible to learn

to care for our children all because we share their story, and YOU heard it and responded.

Everyone following this year’s ride, praying for their safety, purchasing a t-shirt, sponsoring a

bike, or donating is part of the community we treasure. Thank You!

Mama Cat

No Service

Riding across Montana is an amazing experience in its self. The prairies are stunning and breathtaking. To think how harsh the winters are out here makes me cold to even imagine. Seeing the wooden structures along the sides of the highway to block the winds and help reduce the snow drifts really says a lot. Then they have barricades to close the roads in extreme winds. Extreme winds, what does that even mean? How windy does it have to be to close highways? That’s not our problem because we are just passing through and will be way back down south soon.

Riding across Lolo Pass is always a special treat. About 5 miles into the pass, there is no cell phone connection and a sign that says “curvy road” next 99 miles. When you imagine wilderness, THIS IS IT!!!! Although we are not completely roughing it, we are staying in a cabin with electricity and running water along a river that runs through the mountain range. There is no phone service.

No phone service in today’s world is almost unheard of.

Can you imagine being asked to do a lifesaving job and not having had the best training. We are riding to help give nurses the best training and simulation lab in the Columbus area. Our goal is to help make that connection between training and reality. To ensure that “no service” doesn’t exist when it comes to the level of training that Columbus State University can provide to the nursing program.

We all know that for us the “no service” means just a few hours of not having cell phone service and that we will soon be just passing through and will be back home and happy soon.

When a nurse has to make life threatening decisions in an emergency situation or even in a controlled environment, we hope that they have gained the knowledge and training from our brief period of “no service”.

(Written in the early hours of the morning and shared later in the day).

Steve.

Scott Chasing the Sun

For the last few years I feel we have all been like a dog chasing our tail. We really don’t know which way to to start and then once we do we quickly switch directions and try running the other way. It has been no different for me. As with most folks a lot of things have happened in my life that make you wonder where the hell is my life going.

The send off was great from CSU but as always it full of emotions for me.

Then the stop on Broadway to see all of the nursing students and the team members from Synovus Bank and most importantly was a chance to see James Cole and have a group picture with him. To keep with the tradition of the last few year we decided to switch directions of the trip this year, you know the dog chasing his tail thing. Right away into the trip my bike was not riding like it should, I had a bad wobble in the backend. Then to add to it a blowout after leaving a toll booth. Potholes and big cities, who’s bright idea was it to go a different direction!!!!! I guess it was just my way of keeping with the times of a mixed up world, and thinking is anything good anymore!!!!

If you know me you know that’s not the way I think or live my life. The thought only last for two days and I’m reminded of how lucky I am. The first reminder was John at the Harley shop coming in on his day off the work on his own bike and putting it to the side to fix my tire and on top of that refusing to take any money for it. Then it was back on the road and out of the big cities, well almost. Chicago here we come, riding thru any big city with 18 bikes is a challenge and Chicago didn’t let us down. We all hit the toll booth as a group but on the other side of it I have no idea in hell how we all got split up. There were five different roads after the tollbooth and I think we had bikes on all of them and all chose are own path. (Life lessons for me choose your own path and ride it to the end but don’t be afraid to change directions you just might catch that tail) the different paths we all took ended with us together again as a group with great stories to share about each of are own experiences. This ride is what I needed at the time I needed it. I was too busy chasing my tail and forgot what is really important, chasing the sun!!!!!!

Brian - Evie Green

In high school my children John and Katie worked at Chick-fil-a at the mall. It was a typical high school job. Sometimes I think they still say my pleasure when someone say thank you. Another member of that crew was a guy named Matt Green. They all moved up and on, Matt went on to graduate from Georgia Tech. Ultimately all the kids grew up, got married and started having children. Matt married a lovely young lady Emily, and they had a daughter Maddie Jo. Then another Evie. Except Evie was born with heart complications. She was had multiple surgeries and they spent a lot of time in Atlanta at CHOA. I reached out to Emily and asked for some examples of the care they received.
Pediatric nurses are angels sent from God. Not only are they there for the babies, they're there for the parents too. They are the ones who comfort the parents when family isn't around. They answer questions when the doctors leave the room. They make sure to remind you to take care of yourself when you've been with your baby for days/ weeks/ months without going home. They remind parents the importance of leaving the room, to eat, drink water, go for a walk, take a nap, shower, pray.... and they hold your baby as if it were their own while you're gone. They make such an impact on your life that you remember their names even though years have gone by.

Aubrey is one of the fabulous CICU nurses at CHOA at Egleston. She was my daughter's nurse several times during our hospital stay. Aubrey spoke up for us when doctors rounded on us every morning. She made sure the doctors and surgeons were aware of our concerns and questions were answered. Aubrey requested to be my daughter's nurse the morning after my daughter needed CPR and was almost put on ECMO. Made a huge impact on our lives.

Tiffany was another nurse we were blessed to have with us while in the CICU unit. She was always a calming person to be around. She made sure Evie was comfortable got everything she needed. There was an especially hard time during our stay when we were trying to wean Evie from her pain medications after one of Evie's surgeries. A baby going through pain med withdrawals is something you don't expect or even hear about. During this time Tiffany went out of her way on her break to find the same baby swing we had at home. It helped Evie relax, sleep better and come off her meds at a quicker rate. We kept that swing with us until we were discharged 2 months later.
Brittany from the pediatric ICU at Piedmont in Columbus is one of the nicest nurses I've met. She lit up the room with her bubbly personality silly stories. You could tell she was great with babies because Evie just loved it when Brittany came in to see her.
Clair is an incredible and experienced nurse from the Columbus Piedmont ICU. She knew Evie needed to be transferred to the cardiac unit Atlanta from day 1 and pushed for that to happen when we needed her to. We kept in touch for the next 4 months until Evie was finally discharged from CHOA and we were home.

These are first hand examples the importance pediatric nurses have on families. We are riding to make sure the nurses graduating from CSU have all the clinical experience to perform their jobs. But the one thing that is more important is what is in their heart.

Todays song of the day..."Mommie's all right, Daddie's all right, they just seem a little weird"...Surrender by Cheap Trick..

Steve Tennant

I have left Columbus on my shiny red Honda Goldwing several times in the past without difficulty. This time was different. It was very challenging physically, mentally, and emotionally. Maybe it’s a different time in my life. Maybe I know the challenges of the ride. Maybe it’s the unknown challenges of the ride. I don’t know, but I know it was different. So many mixed thoughts and emotions leaving Columbus State University.

It wasn’t until we drove into downtown and saw the Columbus State University nursing students and faculty waving and sharing their excitement, that I was sure I was ready to go on this ride. Seeing their excitement energized me and got me excited to get started on this journey. Thanks to Columbus State University nursing students and faculty for that.

Friday 9/3/2021 Columbus to Johnson City TN. Special Thank you to Columbus motor squad for getting us to Harris County and then a special thanks to Harris County Sheriff's Office for getting us out of Harris county. We were trying to find our place until lunch in Juliette. My friend Tommy “Duck” Frye rode and stayed through lunch. Then he said goodbye and returned to Columbus along with a few others who made the ride to Juliette. We continued to Johnson City TN.

Sunday 9/5/2021. Wow. What a day. It was the longest planned day of the entire ride by miles and It was my birthday. So many thoughts throughout the day. To think this whole “Miracle Ride” started because of a birthday. To think how many kids fight for their lives to have their first birthday. To think about the previous birthdays I’ve had. Then I heard there may be a “surprise” waiting at the hotel in New Hampshire.

The weather and the roads were less than desirable for riding a motorcycle. It rained a lot from Baltimore through New York City and most of the time onto NH. I went back to a conversation I had 2 weeks ago at country’s barbecue. I was asked some questions about the ride. I shared the ride is temporary. If it was to rain every day, we know it will only be 21 days. We know at the end of each day, we will go into a dry hotel room and be able to take off wet clothes, and be free of the wetness. There are families who are not sure of today, and have no idea what tomorrow will bring to them. What we are doing is temporary to make a permanent difference in the life of a child. Makes our challenges seem so minimal.

Monday 9/6/2021 Portsmouth NH to Batavia NY. First gas stop was early. Met Mark in the gas station who asked who we are and where we’re going. As I started to share the story, I noticed a tear, then another. He was very touched by what we are doing. He asked for a website so I gave him a card with all the information He said thank you for what you guys are doing and walked away. I’m not sure what his story is, but obviously he has been through something that was painful.

As we were riding through small communities, we passed a couple of colleges, universities, and hospitals. I began to think What’s their story? Who’s telling the story of their college, their university, their hospital? We are sharing our very own Columbus State University throughout the entire ride with each person we get a chance to talk with or that sees the stickers on the bikes and checks out the website.

The miles are great time of reflection on our own story.

More from the road later.

Steve

Cody Jolley - Day 1-4

Day 1) What can you say? A send off out of Columbus can not get any better than that. From CSU main campus feeding us a great breakfast, to showing all the support from students and staff. Then we get escorted to the down town campus, by CPD motors, and we have what looks like every nurse in the program waving signs and cheering us on. But then to see our great friend and fellow rider, the one and only Mr. James Cole, there to support us. I will say that makes the hurt of leaving our loved ones back home a little softer of a blow. Then we stop to eat lunch and did a pretty good job of telling the story of the ride, the kids, and what we are all about because people started handing over money.
Day 2) What great weather for a high mileage day. It was so good I think it gave Scott a little boost. We had what I could call a Miracle Ride record. We did well over 500 miles and was at the hotel before the end the Alabama/Miami game. But even with everybody trying to get a location to watch football on a Saturday we took time with people and kids along the way. We meet this one family that built a custom Bronco with matching trailer for their son to be able to travel and go to car shows. I am sure there will be pictures around on that.
Day 3) The day that we got pushed around a little. Started off with us not being able to unlock the handlebars on Tim’s bike. But that was able to be overcome with a quick 6:30am phone call to a great sponsor THE HARLEY TECH (John Maxwell) with Maxwell Motorcycles. So he helps get us over that one and we get on the road in the rain. Just as we get passed the rain and it looks like we might be able to start making some good time, the road gremlins jump on Scott’s bike. The back tire goes flat riding down the highway in where I think was New Jersey. So we hang out there until the rain gets back to us. Don’t let me leave out the fact that John Maxwell got some calls on that also. And what does he do, start looking up places to try to help. So sad news we had to leave Scott, Ronnie, and M. Jolley behind to figure it out. So we get on the road in the rain driving pass an entire state that we have to turn around to come back several miles to catch Rhode Island. As we all get off our bikes and grab some pizza because it is the closest and fast for us to eat, we discover that a woman was traveling to drop her daughter off at college saw us riding in the rain, looked us up on our website (www.rideformicales.com) and left us a message and even gave us a donation. That is a big time boost in our spirts and helps us get to the next day
Day 4) What a beautiful day. It started off with the opportunity to pass out stuffed animals and poppers to kids and tell their parents about what we are doing. Then it turned into a beautiful day of riding. I am not a fan of the big cities that we had to deal with on day 3 but today (day 4) was small town USA in the north east corner of the USA. Weather was great and traffic was just as good. There was a few spots that traffic got backed up just like there was a little rain during lunch. But as we got on the bikes from lunch the sky’s opened back up and the sun came back out. It was a sunny 75 degrees for almost all day. But the good news is that the group is back together and under one roof.

Please if you are reading this and you have seen us on the road or we have ran into you at one of our stops please checked out our page.

Cody Jolley

Humbled - Brian Brock

I cannot tell you how honored I am to get to represent Columbus State University on the ride this year. My bike is covered in CSU imagery. For those who have not seen it, come to our return party on the 24th. I had the pleasure of riding Dr. Chris Markwood from our launch on main campus down to Frank Brown Hall. No pressure...DON'T DROP THE PRESIDENT!!!!! I didn't want to do that, plus it would have cost me a lot of money buying beer for the riders. Another huge thanks to the Columbus Police Department and the Motor Squad, along with Campus Police and Harris County Sheriff's Office. They escorted us downtown and then right out of town. Also, Lauren Linahan from WTVM, we had absolute perfect riding weather.

We had a great ride to Johnson City TN. We got in a little after dark. No restaurants open. The hotel bar only had two employees and they were closing in 15 minutes. The bartender stayed open for us and he cooked us some appetizers. One of the two girls behind the desk went and got us some pizza. There were two other hotel guests in the bar. In no time there's a big group of bikers, and they asked what we were doing. When we told them, they each went to the ATM and gave us $100 each. This just demonstrates how wonderful people really are in this country. We're just some dudes riding a bike trying to make a difference. And everyone wants to help, and that is humbling.

I got a lot more coming at you as the ride continues...today's song of the day..I was singing this rolling down the road... "On the day that you were born the angels got together, and decided to make a dream come true"...Close to You by The Carpenters

Pediatric Nurses Making a Difference- One Nurse's Story

Pediatric Nurses Making a Difference

One Nurse’s Story

One crazy night in December on the pediatrics floor I remember admitting a twin newborn baby girl. She was admitted for feeding problems. When I went in to assess her, I saw how sick she looked. I just couldn’t put my finger on what was wrong with her. So, I went to our Chief of Pediatrics and asked if she could transfer her to the PICU. The patient transferred to the PICU and I continued my night. I was off the next few days and never knew what happened to my patient.

The next December rolled around and a visitor walked up to me on the Pediatric floor. She said I know you don’t remember me but a year ago you saved my baby’s life. She then told me that the previous year I asked the doctors to put her baby in the PICU and they found a life threatening heart defect. Her baby was airlifted to CHOA and had cardiac surgery. I assured her it was the doctors and surgeons who saved her baby’s life and not me. She then showed me a picture of her healthy, one year old daughter. That day I learned my voice matters, so much that it could save a child’s life, and that’s cool.

That child is 26 now

Why Nursing? Memory Shackelford MSN,RN

Why Nursing?

Memory Shackelford MSN, RN

Growing up, it is instilled in all of us to choose a profession that provides good compensation and good benefits so that we can live a successful and comfortable life. But for me, that was not enough. I did not want to go to work every day just to make a living; I wanted to work to make a difference. In adolescence, I found myself obsessed with the idea of becoming a doctor, but not just any doctor—a neonatologist, a physician trained to work with the most fragile of populations. In high school my mother went back to college and obtained a nursing degree and started working at the bedside; her dedication to her patients, the work she put in to better our community, the way she was a part of a true team were truly inspirational. I decided that being a physician was no longer the route I wanted to take; I wanted to be a nurse. I wanted to be a neonatal intensive care nurse. I followed my dream, obtained my nursing degree, and landed my dream job in our local level 3 neonatal intensive care unit.

Once I got there, the reasons why I wanted to be a NICU nurse evolved. Letting a mother hold her 500-gram baby for the first time; sending a 23 weeker home when she beat all the odds; feeding a baby his first full bottle by mouth; soothing a baby withdrawing from the most toxic of substances; showing an abandoned baby the love that it needed to thrive... the environment was nothing like I had ever imagined. Every night, I went home knowing that I made a difference in a little life, I made a difference in a family’s life, I made a difference in my community.

I was truly part of a team. I was never alone when caring for those patients. You have physicians, nurse practitioners, dietitians, social workers, and more than anyone else, you have respiratory therapists. The dedicated respiratory therapists made my job so much more magical. In school, I had learned basics of ventilatory support; what each method was and why it was important, but in the unit, the respiratory therapists were genuinely my other half. Together, the two of us would provide quality care to babies smaller than a bottle of shampoo, we would brainstorm reasons why a baby could not come off the ventilator… and in the back of a transport ambulance, we were each other’s lifelines.

One of the wonderful things about becoming a NICU nurse, is the ability to grow your skill set and advance in your career; you do not have to feel stagnant, there are so many options. Some choose to go back to school, some become PICC nurses, some become charge nurses, and then some become transport nurses. I became a neonatal transport nurse in 2018. It was a dream come true; only the nurses with elite assessment skills can train to become one, it was an absolute honor. I was trained to have an advanced skill set that included intubation, chest tube insertion, needle aspiration, and umbilical line placement. I was trained to read x-rays and be the eyes and ears of the doctors in outlying hospitals. “Adrenaline rush” does not even begin to describe the feeling in the back of the ambulance. I will never forget my second transport off of training. It was just me, my respiratory therapist, a box, and a bag. We were called to a neighboring hospital to pick up a baby suspected to have pulmonary hypertension, a disease process that can be deadly if not treated quickly. As if pulmonary hypertension was not bad enough, things quickly got worse. Upon assessment and reviewing of x-rays, my respiratory therapist and I discussed with the physician our concerns for a congenital heart defect. It was determined that the infant needed to go to Atlanta for possible surgical intervention. On the transport, if it could go wrong, it did. But with quick critical thinking, top-notch assessment skills, and amazing teamwork, we were able to transport the infant to Atlanta as it clung to life. After dropping the infant off into the capable hands of the Atlanta staff, I went home knowing that I had served my community in a manner in which not many people can.

Outside of the NICU, I myself am a mother to a child born with a congenital heart defect. We just recently had it corrected and those pediatric nurses that cared for my daughter during the scariest time of my life are truly angels on Earth. They cared for my daughter and for me at the same time. They anticipated needs and provided the most excellent and detailed care. When playing and snuggling are part of your daily tasks, you know you have the best job in the world!

I became a nurse to make a difference, but the truth is becoming a NICU nurse made a difference in me. It became part of my identity. The ability to be part of something greater does not come along too often, but as a nurse working with littles it happens every day. The skills, the interactions, the emotions, the difference you make… it is so much more than making a living; it truly is the best job in the world.

Reflections on the 2018 Miracle Ride

What is on your mind? Are you wondering if you can get home in time to cut the grass? Are you looking at 4 or 5 piles of laundry that need to be done? Are you trying to figure out how to juggle the soccer game, ballet class and still have time to watch the ball game on Saturday? You are trying your best to be in control of your days? But this month a tiny premature infant left the hospital and didn’t go home but instead went to a loving foster family willing to feed, nurture and hold him. Last night a child went to bed only to be taken away in the dead of night to a safer place than their home, and all they felt was fear. And in hospitals in Amarillo Texas, Sioux City Iowa and Columbus Georgia a mom is resting her head on the foot of the hospital bed that holds her very sick child and cries. The people affected in these stories aren’t trying to control their lives they are just hanging on. The Miracle Riders started out on a fun trip with great destinations ahead. They didn’t know what those destinations were but it was going to be good. They have hit some real highs and some lows and struggles but none greater than the children they ride for. You see, while you and I continue to control our lives we need to remember we are the fortunate ones. Maybe we just need to let go sometimes and enjoy the unexpected and be thankful.

King - 1lb 10ozs It's why we ride. - Jonnie Ellerbee

Another day, another post for Jonnie and the Miracle Riders! This one is extra special because Brookstone family member Liza’s son, King was born at 1 lb. 10 oz. and was a recipient of equipment purchased with funds raised by the Miracle Riders! Big sister, Elle, has a message for you!! Look closely at what King is holding!! He’s has had it since he was born and in the NICU!

Go to the video tab and see a message from the family.

The seniors sure did miss you at Senior Day today! We are thankful for you, your fellow riders, and your families for allowing you to do what you do!

Jonnie Ellerbee - The Goodness in People

So here I am, alive, healthy, and doing 2 things that I love, riding motorcycles with this amazing group of men, and helping the kids.

Although the kids are not he only ones that are helped. We all share in the joy of seeing the good in people, the Riders, the parents, the people that just walk up and ask us what we are doing and who we are.

They sit or stand and listen to our story, of who we are and what we are doing. 

The Riders when they share their story....the goodness in people. The light in a kids eyes and smile on their face as the Sheriff gives them a popper....the goodness in people. The amazement on people’s face as they realize there are still good people in this world,....the goodness in people. 

I sit in awe as I watch. My heart is renewed, my faith replenished....the goodness in people.

On day three as we ate lunch at a “famous for our country fried steak” place in Texas, we spoke to a family briefly and told them what we do, they thanked us for what we do and went about their business. As we got ready to get our checks and leave the waitress told us our (22 of us) bill had been paid. Moments later we were outside and saw the family, we approached them  and I extended my hand and a heart felt thank you. I couldn’t say much more than that for the crack in my voice and the lump in my throat wouldn’t let me....the goodness in people. There are Good people in this world, all you have to do is look. 

I am ever thankful to be a part of this group that serves to help the children of our community. 

Father of the bride and father of the groom donate to the ride!! Thanks

Day 6 - Steve Tennant

.  Lubbock TX to Deming NM.  Look at it on the map.  It looks like a straight shot west.  Now look at it from Lubbock TX going through Amarillo Tx.   Who does that?   WE DO, it’s what we do.   Look at these pictures of the local weather, now add riding a motorcycle through that in the dark.  Are we crazy?   Yes, crazy about kids.   That’s what we are, heck most of us out here are just crazy kids ourselves with some wisdom. It was cold, wet, dark; and did I mention cold and wet?   Leaving at 6 am in the rain. What were we thinking?  We were on a mission to see a level III NICU with a dedicated air transport team.  Wow, we were like kids at Christmas time.   My roomie was leading the way, he had a plan, and was ready.  He was up early to do the news and excited to get on the road.  My first question to him was did you sleep at all last night.   That energy and excitement was contagious. First hour or so was miserable. Then after a gas stop, coffee and a biscuit (breakfast on the road, left before hotel was serving), the beginning of daylight with still a little rain, but we could see at least.  After a wonderful welcome to Northwest TX hospital in Amarillo we were able to get off the bikes.  Shaking cold and wet, we took pictures with the flight team and toured the hospital NICU.   Seeing those babies and the look on the riders faces   That’s what this ride is about.  We had all but forgot how cold and wet we were just an few minutes ago.   That was only temporary.  These babies will always be a premie.  Some less than 500 grams.  The size of a mans hand and fighting for life only to be hopeful of a chance to be riding a motorcycle in the cold and wet and dark.  We know the road ahead of us is going to be be a long one, so we saddle up again and ride away leaving the mark of miracle riders everywhere in that NICU.  It was a 16 hour day and longer for others.  Thank you to Ryan Chandler and all the staff at Northwestern Hospital for allowing us to visit your facility and the care you give to those babies.  That’s all for today.

Day 5 (a little late) Steve Tennant

San Antonio to Lubbock TX.  As we were leaving San Antonio I was thinking about the first time I was in San Antonio.   30 years ago this fall, I was at Ft. Sam Houston attending the U.S. Army combat medic course with my brothers and sisters in arms.  As an 18 year old “kid” I was trusted with saving lives.   After multiple deployments including combat zones, my Army career ended.  Now as we, my Miracle Rider brothers, are leaving San Antonio we are challenged with making a difference in one child’s life.  I’m not sure which is bigger responsibility.   We have witnessed the smile on so many kids on the road when they see us and we wave at them or give them a popper or take a picture with them.  We are strangers to each other for only a moment.  I am reminded of the kids back in our own community.  The babies in the NICU who are fighting a battle.   The girls at Girls Inc, the young men at Carpenters Way, the young ladies at Arabella House, the kids with juvenile diabetes, the kids with autism, the kids with cancer and so many others that are in the battle for their life, or to just fit in and make a friend.  We will never be able to walk in your shoes, but through the donations and the miles we are riding, hopefully that path is just a little bit easier to walk.  As an “older” kid (refusing to grow up, just more expensive toys) that challenge is not taken lightly just as it wasn’t 30 years ago.  Please take a moment and think of your past and smile when you are reminded when you made a difference to another.  That’s true happiness.  😃