I know this blog is usually a place where I share adventures, road trip and random tidbits of information. But today it seems important to tell you about something that’s bigger than that. Like way bigger.
In my (almost) three decades of life, I’ve been able to meet some amazing people. Smart, good, funny, wild, talented, crazy, passionate, fun and kind-hearted people.
Last weekend, I was able to add six more individuals to that list of amazing people. The group, called WorldRiderZ (two official riders and a crew of four who is documenting their journey for the Discovery Channel), hails from Australia and is traveling around the world. On motorcycles. Awesome, right?
The WorldRiderZ team (plus one messy-haired blond).
But here’s the kicker. In addition to being great individuals (not to mention handsome – ladies, try not to fall in love with them), these guys are riding around the world in an effort to raise awareness for chronic kidney disease, which is something that affects 10 percent of the world’s population. They ride to help that 10 percent. They ride to help promote kidney disease prevention, talk about the need for organ donors and tell the real stories of people all around the world that this disease affects. Chances are, they ride for you.
While WorldRiderZ was in Montana, they were able to visit such iconic places as Glacier National Park, meet with a local honey producer (check out photos of their visit to Glacier County Honey in Babb here), spend time at the Flathead Cherry Festival, raft the Clark Fork River with 10,000 Waves and meet with Dr. Meg Eddy, a kidney specialist at Saint Patrick Hospital in Missoula. (For the scoop on their Missoula visits, check out the news stories from KPAX and Missoulian).
Meeting with Dr. Eddy at St. Pat's Hospital.
Perhaps my point in telling you this story is this: Sometimes life is hard. It’s not perfect. And sometimes bad things happen. The world is full of tragedies, disease, struggles and precious lives that are lost far too soon.
But here’s the real point: There is so much good in the world. People to love, causes to support, babies to kiss, fun to be had, work to be done, compassion to be given and families to raise. And that, to me, is what’s it’s really all about. It’s about making the world better. And for guys of WorldRiderZ, it’s about doing better, raising awareness and embracing this wonderful life.
TT
PS: Here’s how you can help. Sign up today (literally, like right now) to be the Third Rider and help WorldRiderZ raise awareness for chronic kidney disease and the importance of organ donation.
