Oregon rider plans coast-to-coast trek for Alzheimer’s research

OREGON, USA — A Tualatin man is preparing for a 5,000-mile motorcycle journey across the country this summer in memory of his late mother, who died from Alzheimer’s disease six years ago.

Mike Hall will begin the solo ride June 21 at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and end at Cape Blanco on the Oregon coast.

 His mission is to raise awareness and funds for the Alzheimer’s Association in honor of his mother, Sandy, and his sister who was her caretaker for years.

According to Hudson Tyler, marketing and communications manager for the Alzheimer’s Association, 79,000 Oregonians suffer from Alzheimer’s.

Nationwide, that number is far greater.

“It’s increased, we’ve for the first time ever, hit the 7 million mark. So 7.2 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s right now,” said Tyler.

For Hall, he wants more people to be aware and donate to the Alzheimer’s Association, which is the largest non-government funder of Alzheimer’s research.

“It’s a huge issue, and it’s one that I’m happy to support,” Hall said.

His wife, Suzanne Hall, said she fully supports his journey.

“For him to be going alone on a 5,000 mile trek, it’s a little scary for me, but he’s got all the equipment,” she said. “I think it’s going to be a great adventure for him and I am super excited for him.”

The ride is expected to take about a month. It’s a solo ride, but Hall expects to meet other riders along the journey.

He said his dad also getting ill motivated him to act now.

“Thanksgiving last year, my dad started to decline. So it was really, hey, I’m not getting younger. I want to do this while I can. I’ve always wanted to take this big ride, but I just wanted to tie it together with something that’s meaningful,” he said.

All weekend, Hall was at the One Moto Show, a motorcycle show, raising awareness under his tent.

“I’m out at the One Moto Show, just sharing the story that I have about a big ride that I’m doing, and the Alzheimer’s Association to really raise funds for them and awareness as I ride across the country,” Hall said.

His goal is to raise $10,000. Donations will go directly to the Alzheimer’s Association.

“We have the Richard and Helen Phillips Charitable Fund is also matching everything that we do here. So for the One Moto Show, all donations, $1 turns into $2 and that’s up to $10,000, it’s a beautiful gift.”

With less than 50 days to go, Hall said the support he’s received so far has been uplifting.

“I am super excited about doing the ride, and the response here at the show has been really, super positive, overwhelming, really. So it’s all excitement right now,” he said.

Though Hall’s longest ride to date is just 1,000 miles, he’s confident he’s ready for the journey ahead.