A UF alumnus challenged himself to a 156-mile bike ride along the east coast to support a cause he said does not get enough attention.
Stephen Fitzmaurice, a UF alumnus, completed a three-day bike ride through four states, from Maryland to Washington, D.C., with the Gears for Good charity bike ride to raise money for the Hemophilia Federation of America.
Fitzmaurice, 27, said he had both personal and professional reasons for making the trip from Sept. 26 to Sept. 28.
“Hemophilia is like the underdog medical group,” he said. “A lot of folks don’t know about bleeding disorders and how to treat them, so it really spoke to me.”
He said he also wanted push himself and take on the bike trail, along with 25 other riders.
Fitzmaurice raised $1,295 out of the more than $90,000 raised by the charity. One hundred percent of the donations go to patients and their families to pay for medical expenses.
Hemophilia, a rare genetic bleeding disorder, affects only 20,000 people in the U.S., according to the Hemophilia Federation of America website.
The disorder can cause internal or external bleeding episodes, affecting the joints, muscles and abdomen. There is no cure for it, and treatment typically costs about $350,000 a year.
“Hemophilia is not only physically and emotionally painful, it can be financially challenging,” said Allie Boutin, Hemophilia Federation of America development coordinator, in a press release. “I am proud to organize this fundraiser to help moms and dads who have lost their jobs or paychecks because they stayed in the hospital with their children.”
Fitzmaurice, who now works with nonprofit organizations in Washington, D.C., said he enjoyed working with Gears for Good to help change lives.
“It was really cool for me to meet community members during the bike ride,” Fitzmaurice said. “You’re meeting folks that have hemophilia and that have different experiences with types of treatment.”
Some of the people he met along the way contracted HIV and hepatitis C throughout their years with the disorder from various blood transfusions in the 1950s and 1960s.
Fitzmaurice said his involvement was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“It was my first time doing anything like this,” he said. “The program, Gears for Good, really spoke to me, and I enjoyed helping these people out. They’re just inspiring.”
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 10/13/2014]
