Man bikes across country for autism awareness

FREMONT -  A man riding his bike from Oregon to New York to raise money for autism and to thank emergency personnel for all they do made a pit stop at the Fremont Fire Department Thursday and Friday.

Bob Quick, 54, of Roy, Utah, is riding his bike across the county thanking police, fire and rescue personnel for saving his life and giving him a second chance to make a difference. After getting his new lease on life, Quick is making the most of it as he rides with daughter Jillian Quick, 32, who joined him on the cross-county trip in Wyoming.

The two are riding to raise money that will be used to purchase iPads for children with autism. Jillian's 6-year-old son Bruce has autism and often uses computer tablets and smart phones to play games that help him learn.

"He has severe autism," Jillian said. "He doesn't even talk yet. Autistic kids have a photographic memory, and when they use computers (or tablets), that is how they remember things. They interpret things and that is how they move forward."

The bike trip will span 4,000 miles, from Oregon to Montauk, New York, where Bob said he plans to dip the front tire of his bike into the Atlantic Ocean to culminate his trip.

Traveling dozens of miles per day can take its toll on the rider, Bob said.

"We sleep in a two-person tent, and one night I saw Jillian pedaling in her sleep," Bob said.

"We ride so much I dream about pedaling," Jillian said.

The cross-country bike trip has become a constant reminder of how precious life is, Bob said, as he rides to raise money for children with autism and remembers the day he was pronounced dead.

A hereditary heart condition left Bob nearly dead after a heart attack in 2004, but he was brought back to life by rescue crews. From that day forward, he said, he knew he needed to do something to thank fire, police and emergency personnel.

"When I visited my doctor, Jack Lassetter, he said you can either ride the bus, get hit by the bus or drive the bus. I decided to drive the bus," Bob said. "Doctors didn't write me a prescription for pain, they wrote me a prescription for a 4,000-mile bike ride."

Since his heart attack in 2004, Bob has had 23 surgeries, 16 stents and a pacemaker defibrillator placed in his chest, but said his struggles are nothing compared to what public service personnel handle on a daily basis.

"I used to cook for firefighters," Bob said. "I've seen how going out to a fatal accident affects them. At the end of their shift, they have to pretend like it didn't happen and go back to their families. They are hometown heroes."

Riding his bike across the country is becoming a regular tradition for Quick, who pedaled his way from San Diego to Florida, in 2013.

"I've always been a rider," Bob said. "I got the bug when I was 15 and a teacher shared his bike ride in class from Virginia to San Francisco. To a kid that was like traveling around the world."

After his journey ends on Long Island, which the two expect to reach the Montauk Point lighthouse around Oct. 14, Bob said he will start planning more bike trips. His ultimate goal is a series of trips that will take him from the tip of Maine to Florida's southernmost point, then across the middle of the country to see the Mid-Atlantic and Great Plains regions, and a final trip from the tip of the Pacific Northwest down the Pacific Coastline and ending up in Arizona.

As with previous trips, the plan is to raise money for a worthy cause while continuing to express his gratitude to the men and women who serve the community, and brought him back from the dead.

"I just want to thank police and fire," Bob said. "Without them, I wouldn't be here."

Want to help?

http://www.bobquicksjourney.com/

cshoup@gannett.com

419-334-1035

Twitter: CraigShoupNH