Larry Frederick always expresses his gratitude to blood donors:
“Thank you, it was someone like you who saved my life.”
The 60-year-old California cyclist says he wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for people who donate blood.
Working as an Oakland policeman in 1982, Frederick was struck by a drunken driver while standing outside his patrol car. The collision mangled his body, and he required 110 units of blood (about 22 quarts) before doctors could stop the bleeding.
Bicycle rehab
Rehabilitating his broken body on a stationary bicycle, Frederick became a cycling enthusiast and decided to use his love of bicycling as a way to promote blood donations. [The full story of Frederick's amazing recovery is in the video above.]
At first bicycling around California to bring attention to local blood drives, Frederick launched the first Life Across America bike tour in 1996. Frederick and his son rode their bicycles 4,266 miles cross-country for a meeting with President Clinton at the White House.
That cross-country bike ride prompted 191 blood drives that gathered 75,000 units of blood.
He repeated the Life Across America bicycle tour in 1997, riding his bicycle to Gainesville, Florida. This past summer, he and his daughter Adella rode their bicycles from California to New Hampshire, visiting blood centers along the way.
Palo Alto blood drive
If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area you can meet Frederick at a blood drive this Saturday.
Frederick will be appearing at the “Bikers Out for Blood” blood drive this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Stanford Blood Center in Palo Alto. Donors will receive free barbecue, a movie ticket and be eligible for prizes from area bike shops.
First seen in Chris Kostman's AdventureCorps newsletter
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