My father is named Mike. He is my hero. I have lived most of my life trying to make him proud. My father was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2007. I was a freshman in college at the University of Wisconsin, and I was in denial. There was no way that my hero could be sick. For a long time, I chose not to think about it or deal with the feelings.
Mike was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and has lived all over the United States through his giving and caring life. Before he had children, he met his soul mate and dropped out of college (the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh) his freshman year. They traveled the U.S. together. One mode of transportation that my father has utilized his whole life is biking. When he was 25 years old he biked from just north of Shreveport, Louisiana and made it all the way to Quincy, Illinois. This has been the inspiration for "Bike Like Mike." Mike had three children in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, while working at a homeless shelter. The Hope House on the Southside of Milwaukee was lucky enough to have a Mike as a manager for 19 years. He explained to me once that the ability to make someone hurt less was what made this job worth it for him. He was able to do someone's laundry so that they could go rest or give them a cup of coffee as an act of kindness, and he said that helping someone in these small ways can make a big difference in someone's life. |
This man has given to others his entire life. The doctors explained that physically he would get worse. Right now, he still enjoys taking bike rides with his wife and his children. He is an avid Brewers fan and gets excited each year for Spring Training. One of his favorite times of the year may be when pitchers and catchers report to Arizona, signaling that baseball is not far away at all.
Mike wants to make the world a better place, drawing inspiration from Dorthy Day, Mother Teresa, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Ghandi, and many more. He uses thousands of inspirational quotes to keep his (and those around) spirits up. He is a self-published author with a children's book (illustrated by my brother's fourth grade class in 2000) and another series of vignettes on his time at the Hope House.
He runs a website titled Barefoot Charlie and the Book of Dreams
Mike wants to make the world a better place, drawing inspiration from Dorthy Day, Mother Teresa, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Ghandi, and many more. He uses thousands of inspirational quotes to keep his (and those around) spirits up. He is a self-published author with a children's book (illustrated by my brother's fourth grade class in 2000) and another series of vignettes on his time at the Hope House.
He runs a website titled Barefoot Charlie and the Book of Dreams