I will never forget my 10th Birthday. No more single digits. I was now a MAN. At least that's what my Dad told me that cold February 5 in 1987 as we walked through the revolving doors into SEARS located in the big mall in the city of Lancaster, PA. At least it seemed big at the time :) That day my Pops told me to get into the family car (a Datsun) out in Amish country and (as he so typically does) did not tell me where we were going."You're a MAN now, son!", he bellowed. "You know what that means??" I shook my head no. "That means you need a road bike. No more big wheels, or BMX bikes, you need a 10-speed with gears so we can go on bike rides together, father and son."
And that is how it began. That day I got a steel framed navy blue, good 'ol fashioned road bike (I think it cost 50 bucks) and thus started my father and my relationship of riding bikes together. Over the ensuing years of my adolescence we biked many miles together through the non-judging farm fields of Pennsylvania.
Together, father and son, we discussed many of life's topics and struggles, fears, joys, questions that a young teenager goes through and looks to a father, a role model, a leader, a mentor for answers. There was a peacefulness of being on that blue steel bike, riding next to my pops, alongside nature, bees, birds, and cornstalks. Through these rides I not only gained physical strength, but also I grew stronger mentally, and confidently through the lessons my father taught me. I could tell how much he enjoyed the bike rides as well. It was a chance to get away, away from the hustle and bustle, and spend time with his son.
There is something extremely special about that parent-child relationship, not to be taken for granted. Perhaps this is why when I come across a young girl whose father was killed in the line of duty, or when I meet a young boy who grew up in a foster home, I see such a void, such a need for mentorship, inspiration, and I have a gnawing desire to help these children. That is why I started the foundation Got Your Back Network after losing two of my good friends in Afghanistan and seeing the impact it had and continues to have on their children. Kids are a so precious, free, innocent, easily influenced, SO malleable, open to ideas and capable of SO much positive, if given guidance, mentorship, love, and compassion.It is for this reason that I think I have found myself migrating towards so much motivational work with youth and empowerment through sport.
This past year I have had numerous experiences with the U.S. Surgeon General educating children on the importance of eating right and being active, but also WHY it is so important. Enabling children to understand which foods and beverages allow them to feel and be the best they can be, and teaching them how to take their pulse rate, and why getting their heart beating faster through movement for 60 minutes a day is crucial to their longevity has been incredibly rewarding and fun. Prompting children to take charge when grocery shopping with their parents has been great, as has encouraging them to take the lead in grabbing their parents to go for a hike, play tennis, or go for a bike ride. Empowerment through sport. When I led three teenage foster children through their first ever triathlon in August, and we crossed the finish line together, hand in hand, I will never forget the purity of their smiles, the magnitude of their joy, and the swell of newly found confidence that they had discovered within.
The Surgeon General of the United States has inspired me in many ways, but most importantly to step up in being a leader for a Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future. Over 30% of the children in our country are now overweight or obese. This is twice the percentage than just 2 decades ago when it was just 15%....around the time my Dad marched me into that SEARS to get my first road bike. With 2/3 (yes that's 66.6%) of our adult population now overweight or obese originating from this original amount, just do the math to realize what that spells for our future populations. As a physician I can tell you that the single greatest thing that will kill you early, is being overweight. Whether it is from diabetes, heart disease, cancer, or stroke, that adipose tissue is a cause. When I get really upset is when I see a 14 year old in my clinic who is obese, has diabetes (used to be called adult onset diabetes) and already has carotid artery blockage of a 65 year old (so much that I can hear with my stethoscope).
And this is becoming more and more of a common occurrence. Obviously we are not doing something right, and it take each and every one of us to step up and start being better role models for our children, our peers, and everyone around us. There is no finger pointing in this obesity epidemic. It stems from a societal change away from a play generation, towards a fast paced, controlled, automated, computerized and sheltered one full of overly affordable processed foods, and one where some school systems have done away with physical education, failing to see the clearly evidenced benefits between physical activity and learning.Last summer I received a frantic call one morning from my mother, informing me that my father was short of breath and having some left shoulder pains after riding his bicycle. I got him to the hospital and it was discovered through angiogram that THREE of his main coronaries were 90% blocked. He was moved quickly to surgery where he received FIVE cardiac bypass grafts. It was a very emotional time, one where we all took a step back and reflected on how fragile this life that we have is, and no one realized that as much as my Father. He emerged from surgery with a renewed vigor and commitment to wellness. When I began speaking with the Surgeon General about riding my bike across the country, speaking at elementary schools along the way, my Father caught wind of it, and suggested we do it across Pennsylvania, just as we had done years ago. And that is how the idea for the Cross-PA Health Ride and Kids Fitness Days was born. After much planning, tough times finding funding, and nail biting frustrations, we are poised to begin our trek across the Keystone State on October 4 in Pittsburgh and ride a total of 420 miles, visiting seven elementary schools, reaching over 4000 children, culminating in Philadelphia on October 10 with a run up the fabled Rocky Steps, and Healthy Lifestyles Fair, a show of pride in PA and in encouraging we and our children to lead healthier lifestyles.
I can firmly attribute the successes I have had in my life thus far to three key things I learned from my Father- the ethic of Service, the importance of Mentorship, and how to ride a Bike :)
Let's get riding.......
For more information, to participate, volunteer, or donate to the Cross-PA Health Ride effort, please visit www.healthride.org
Thank you.
Dr. Andy Baldwin (and his father Roy)
