William Galloway pedaled through Blackshear last week.
While there is nothing unusual about a biker in the community — Galloway is not your typical bicycle enthusiast.
Galloway is a special traveler. He stopped in Blackshear on what is his 13th trip across America.
Galloway hopes his journey will have people talking about brain injuries and getting people the help they need.
He said his bike is his life as he hasn’t lived in a traditional home in five years.
“I’ve been crisscrossing across America since 2017. I’ve traveled 37,500 miles and gone through three bicycles and five trailers,” he said.
He uses his bicycle trek to raise awareness for a health issue that’s near to his heart.
“I got hit by a drunk driver and suffered a traumatic brain injury,” he said. “My goal was to get to the Amen Clinic, a place that treats people with brain and mood disorders. For everything I went through in the medical field, I shouldn’t be out here.”
Galloway displays a sign on his bike calling attention to Brain Injury Awareness and inviting people to help “keep his wheels turning.”
He has Venmo, PayPal and a Go Fund Me page.
Galloway stayed with the Rev. Mary Ann Braswell and her husband, Bobby, and he was the guest of Blackshear First United Methodist Church, staying for services Sunday.
The next leg of his journey found him headed toward Camden County for work that helps fund his journey.
“I receive donations, but I also do jobs to help earn income and pay my way,” he said.
Occasionally, churches and individuals provide him with food and lodging and show him kindness. There are rare occasions, though, where he has had the police called on him.
He said the road and his bike are the best medicine for his condition. From city to city, he hopes to bring attention to people with brain injuries.
“People have been very good to me and they tell me stories about their own personal experiences with traumatic brain injuries or about people they know who have had traumatic brain injuries,” he said. “I am glad to do whatever I can to bring attention to the cause.”
And, he keeps on pedaling.
Zoie Henry of WLTX in Columbia, SC contributed to this report.
