COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (KRDO) — On Wednesday, a father stopped in Colorado Springs on his way to the East Coast by bike.
His mission is to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charity and tell his family story.
Jeff Bekos was greeted with cheers as he rode his bike to the Ronald McDonald House. But on July 5, 2013, his family’s life was turned upside down. His daughter, Hailey Bekos, was diagnosed with a rare neurological disease. According to Bekos, there are only 300 cases of the disease worldwide.
“She was diagnosed with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, a very rare autoimmune disease. I basically turned off all the receptors in her brain. So her brain didn’t know what to do,” Bekos said.
The Bekos stayed at the Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia while Hailey was being treated. To give back, he is doing a ride called the “One Dad’s Mission, Coast to Coast Jeff Bekos Bike Ride.” Bekos said staying at the Ronald McDonald House really helped them focus on their daughter.
“I think of the support we received from the Ronald McDonald House. It was just incredible because it allowed us to focus on our healing and not on other things that were going on in our lives,” Bekos said.
Bekos began his journey on July 29 in Orange, California, and hopes to reach Philadelphia by October 14. His goal is to raise $5 million. So far, he has raised $506,000.
