Student plans bike trip to Philadelphia to promote awareness of hepatitis B
Terry Strickland
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: Lifestyle
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"At first I thought he was just saying stuff," Warren recalled. "I was like, 'whatever, man.'"
At the time, Warren was not aware that Ellis, his best friend, was hepatitis B positive.
"When he told me [about his condition] . . . it made sense to me why he wanted to ride." In fact, without hesitation Warren volunteered to ride with Ellis.
This summer, they will spend three weeks on their bicycles, traveling cross-country to educate the public about the disease and to benefit the foundation-an organization dedicated to bringing hope and a cure to those who suffer from chronic hepatitis B.
The ride will begin on June 2, with a kickoff event at Tate High School. From there, the pair will bike approximately 1,200 miles, finishing 20 days later in Philadelphia, on Ellis's 18th birthday.
According to Melanie Groft, director of development for the foundation, all along the route the pair's passage will be announced by press coverage, and they will be greeted in Philly by a grand finale celebration.
It was almost two years ago that Ellis was diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B, a disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver, gradually and silently destroying it. In the summer of 2006, two weeks before his 16th birthday, Ellis was told that he would most likely carry the disease for the rest of his life and that he might have to receive a liver transplant within the next 10 years.
"I was in disbelief," he said. His nurse told him that there might have been a mistake. However, upon a second blood test, his diagnosis was confirmed. He tested positive for the virus.
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