On April 16, Bob Baker and two companions dipped the wheels of their bikes in Long Island Sound near Stamford, Connecticut and set off to bike 4,000 miles across the United States to Seattle, Washington.
Bob is a survivor of ulcerative colitis and colon cancer and an ostomate.
He’ll be using his three-month ride to raise awareness of ulcerative colitis and colorectal cancer prevention and give hope to people who are terrified of ostomies, letting them know that they can be life-saving and life-giving.
Cyclists are invited to join Bob and the Phoenix Tour on their route across the northern United States.
- NY – Fosterdale, Deposit, Binghamton, Elmira, Hornell, Olean, Jamestown
- PA – Meadville
- OH – Burton, Oberlin, Mifflin, Mansfield, Columbus, Corwin, Cincinnati
- IN – Richmond, Summitsville, Lafayette, Rensselaer, Hammond
- and on to Illinois and Minnesota and parts west –
- You can watch the tour move on the United Ostomy Associations of America website.
Bob says,
By making this ride, I want to show that it is absolutely possible to live an active, healthy lifestyle after ostomy surgery. I plan to use this event to talk about important health issues like Inflammatory Bowel Disease, prevention of Colon Cancer and the quality of life one can attain with an Ostomy.
Over 125,000 new ostomies are performed each year in the United States, although about 45 percent of them are temporary. Ostomates include newborns and ninety-year olds. Primarily ostomy surgery is done to treat inflammatory bowel disease including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, trauma, and birth defects. Over 750,000 people live with ostomies in the US today.
After 400 miles, Bob and his biking companions reached Jamestown, NY where they had lunch with the Jamestown United Ostomy Association.
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