“I’m so proud of you,” whispered Hailey Bekos as she hugged her father before he left on a 4,600-mile, cross-country bike ride to honor her and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Jeff Bekos hopped on his endurance bike Monday morning, July 29, and left the parking lot of the Ronald McDonald House in Orange. Amid cheers from supporters, he turned north on Batavia Street and headed for Philadelphia.
He hopes to raise $5 million for the charity, which supports families with sick children, as he bikes from California to Pennsylvania.
“This will help approximately 254,000 families,” said Jeff Bekos.
Over the next 77 days, Bekos will stop at 26 Ronald McDonald houses spread among 15 states sharing his family’s story.
In July 2013, at the age of 13, Hailey Bekos woke up and, “within about 15 seconds stopped talking,” said Jeff Bekos. She had multiple seizures and fell into a four-month coma.
Hailey Bekos, now 24, was diagnosed with Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, an autoimmune disease where the body creates antibodies against the NMDA receptors in the brain. She said she needed to relearn to walk and talk.
“Basically, my brain shut down entirely,” said Hailey Bekos.
Jeff Bekos said he has a mission of giving back.
“We lived at the Ronald McDonald house for 254 nights when Hailey was fighting for her life, and what a better way to give back,” he said.
He plans to arrive in Philadelphia, the birthplace of Ronald McDonald House, on Oct. 14, a few days shy of the nonprofit’s 50th anniversary celebration.
Follow his progress or donate at onedadsmission.org
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