YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — It’s the solo trip of a lifetime for Youngstown native, Air Force Veteran, and retired firefighter Patrick Romeo.
The 55 year old’s endurance and skill are being put to the test in the 13-day, country-wide Hoka Hey Challenge.
He’s one of 100 bikers traveling 10,000 miles on his Harley Davison Ultra Classic motorcycle, somedays riding for 18 hours at a time up to 1,000 miles.
So far, he’s raised over $13,000 for the Resurrecting Lives Foundation, which works with thousands of veterans suffering with traumatic brain injuries across the country.
“They’re 18, 19, 20 years old coming back from combat. Not just with physical scars but mental scars. They’re just starting their life. That’s tough you know. The help is out there. They just need to know where to look for it,” said Romeo.
Dr. Chrisanne Gordon is the founder of Resurrecting Lives Foundation and works with thousands of Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam vets in 28 states suffering from traumatic brain injuries and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
She applauds Patrick’s grueling efforts especially since he’s faced injuries of his own to his knee, back and shoulder fighting fires.
Gordon said he’s handling himself like a first responder would in a time of great tension and uncertainty across the country.
“To get on a motorcycle and travel 10,000 miles to raise awareness, to raise funds for our veterans with traumatic brain injury, I just think it is just something that we consider uplifting for the community, for the veterans, for the nation,” Gordon said.
Romeo, a father of three girls and husband of 28 years, currently works and travels across the country for The Federal Emergency Management Agecy (FEMA).
Throughout his travels, he’s created videos on his Facebook page, “Romeo’s Ride,” keeping followers updated on his progress and mixing in a little humor in between.
“Out in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, where I think they had us go into every town. It was only 25 miles per hour. I think Oprah bought a car for every resident of every senior citizen’s home and then they set them free,” said Romeo.
Romeo said he’s not looking for any notoriety but he hopes his ride will one day inspire others to give back.
“This sounds selfish but i’m riding for me. This is something I wanted to do, just to kind of prove to myself that I can do this. If it inspires somebody else, especially our veterans, then its definitely an added bonus,” says Romeo.
The Hoka Hey challenge ends on Saturday, Aug. 22 in Panama City Florida.
If you’d like to support Patrick Romeo’s ride, go to https://www.resurrectinglives.org/
