Several months ago we were approached by an Australian couple with an amazing idea: to teach their autistic son that he can do anything by cycling thousands of miles together across the U.S. With the need to both fly thousands of miles and cycle thousands of miles, the couple identified the Pocket Llama as the perfect bike for their adventure.
Meet Travis, Fiona, and seven-year-old Patch.
From their website:
Patch is the pilot of this incredible 5000 km bicycle trip across America. His passions, interests and curiosity will determine his curriculum on the road.
Patch was diagnosed with autism at 21 months of age and has many complex repetitive and restricted behavioral patterns, motor planning delays and social and communication issues that his family and friends embrace. He is not afraid to tackle new things when guided and taught in an engaging and unique way.
Fiona never understood why people exercised before she completed a six month cycle tour with Travis through Asia, Canada, the US and Australia in 2007. Ever since then she’s been itching to get back on the bicycle. Fiona would do anything to help her son and to catch one of his secret smiles makes her happy for days.
Travis ran 12 marathons in 12 months in 2013 to raise autism awareness, understanding and acceptance. He founded the web platform www.run4autism.net which has raised more than $150,000 for 10 Australian not for profit organizations. Travis now looks forward to continue supporting families and individuals on the autism spectrum and changing the narrative around the way people talk about disability.
You can follow Patch, Fiona and Travis’ inspiring journey on their website, or on their Facebook page!
To learn more about the bike that is making this trip a reality, check out our Pocket Llama page.
One Response
Awesome journey by an awesome team