With only five days and 250 miles to go, Barry Haarde is entering the final stretch of his Wheels for the World bike tour to raise funds for Save One Life.
Barry, an avid cyclist with hemophilia, is completing the last leg of a 1,000 mile trek on the Alaska Highway. At the 500-mile mark of his original 2,000 mile route, he collided with another cyclist (who ended up going home with a broken pelvis) and Barry has been showing his true grit through bumps, bruises, a very sore back and lots of factor infusions to stay the course. Given his accident, 1,000 miles alone will be a major achievement!
Dubbed “Call of the Wild,” this is Barry’s sixth long-distance bicycle tour. Call of the Wild started in Dawson Creek, British Columbia and is ending in Anchorage, Alaska. His first five tours totaled 19,000 miles and raised over $200,000 for Save One Life!
What’s remarkable about this achievement is that Barry has hemophilia, HIV and a contracted knee joint… health issues that would stop most people from considering this audacious ride. But Barry is not most people…he’s driven by memories of the brother and brother-in-law he lost to hemophilia and HIV, and all the friends in the community lost to HIV. In addition, he knows firsthand the pain suffered by those in developing countries who often lack access to blood-clotting medicine.
Save One Life is an international nonprofit that provides direct support for families with bleeding disorders in developing countries. Save One Life offers families individual sponsorships, college and vocational school scholarships, and micro-enterprise grants. I founded Save One Life in 2001 to engage families who have access to blood-clotting medicine and great medical care to assist families with bleeding disorders who need our help. Many survive on only $1 a day. Save One Life currently provides sponsorships to 1,323 individuals in 12 countries, through over 450 sponsors. Barry is one of them!
Only $3,000 more is needed to reach Barry’s fundraising goal of $35,000. Donate today at Save One Life. And consider sponsoring a child in need.
Thank you, Barry!
Follow Barry’s journey on Facebook here!
