Man finds hope traveling across country on bike

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Man finds hope traveling across country on bike - KYMA

YUMA, AZ - One man is traveling across the country raising awareness for those who live on disability.

This week he stopped in Yuma for a quick break before heading to the west coast to finish his journey.

55-year-old William Galloway isn't letting life's obstacles get him down as he leaves it all on the road traveling from New Jersey to Southern California.

Traveling on average 50 miles a day, Galloway sold everything he owned and set out in October on the journey of a lifetime.

"I got tired of the negatives, not knowing what to do so I decided to take off on a bicycle," Galloway told News 11 outside of the Knights Inn and Suites where he was staying.

His trip, which initially started in aggravation quickly changed to a journey of faith and hope.

"That faith and hope, those are the two things that you've got to ride on," he said.

After a devastating bike accident many years ago, Galloway was left without a chunk of his skull and was put on disability. Four months ago he decided to face his fears by getting back on the bike for the journey of a lifetime. A long the way he's been serving to advocate for the many struggles those face on disability.

"I've asked for help in the system and they see that your life is good and that you can function in the basic things in life but when you want to go back to what you had before or to be better, it's been thrown on me that intimidation of you're going to lose your benefits ... so I ended up getting frustrated and not knowing what to do because nobody would advocate for me," he said.

Galloway lives far from a comfortable life as he still regularly deals with severe headaches and dizziness. These symptoms, which caused him to end up in the ER a few times during his bike journey. He's also experienced many other dangers while traveling across the country.

He was driven off the road and ended up spending five days in a hospital. Galloway said there have been many scary moments.

You may be wondering where Galloway is headed. He is on his way to Amen Clinic in Southern California to get on their waiting list for help with his brain injury.

He said this Amen Clinic had the shortest wait list.

News 11 asked him what people have thought of him as he rides from state to state on a bike that lights up like a Christmas tree.

"When they find out about my story people are skeptical, but they're not understanding of what I'm doing," he said. "They can't believe that I would just get on a bike and start riding," he added. "But when you have nothing else going for you and nobody else helping you, you don't know what else to do," he said.

As Galloway reaches the end of has travels he reminisces on all of the amazing people he has met traveling from state to state.

"I met a lot of passionate people and people unexpectedly that approached me and wanted to understand where I was going and what could they do for me," he said. People would ask him, "You must believe in God?" and "God must be looking out for you."

"You just meet people with so much love it overwhelms you...

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Cross Country Bicyclist has Awareness on the Brain WesternSlopeNow

FRUITA, CO - One man's cross country bicycle trip made an unexpected stop in Fruita on May 4, after a Grand Junction couple helped him get to the hospital. The bicyclist, William Galloway, said it's moments like these that keep his feet pedaling throughout the country.

Galloway has been on his recumbent bicycle for seven months, after starting his journey in New Jersey. He's already made it all the way to the West Coast, and now he's on his way back. "I just decided to take off on a bicycle," said Galloway.

While on his trek back, his leg was hurting him while he was on the side of the road. A Grand Junction couple saw this, and did a double take. "The couple that passed me half a mile down the road, backing up to see what I need, it only takes one to care, one to listen, and when they offered me the food I just said, well, I need to get to the hospital cause of my left leg," said Galloway. The couple took him to the hospital in Fruita.

Galloway is missing part of his skull, and is biking across America to raise awareness about people living with brain injuries. "If they don't see the people with...

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New Jersey man with traumatic brain injury bikes cross country to raise awareness, made local stop on Monday

BATAVIA — “I’ll peddle ‘til I drop.”

And so through 90-degree heat swells, the whipping of 50 mph winds, head-splitting seizures, tornado warnings blaring 30 miles from civilization and the familiar ache of hunger augmenting deep from within an ever-thinning belly, William Galloway peddles on.

The New Jersey man — though he doesn’t really live anyplace in particular, anymore — abandoned most of his worldly possessions nine months ago, save for a few changes of clothes, a recumbent bicycle, a small trailer and a helmet to which he’s strapped a Go-Pro — a way to document the 60 to 70 miles he soldiers through day by day on his travels — in hopes of finding a simpler life on a journey coast to coast.

He doesn’t carry much — granola bars and cheese crackers, water and Gatorade, crumpled but carefully kept addresses and phone numbers of good samaritans he’s met along the way, and a spare tire, too, — and he has to budget each expenditure with a painstaking precision that makes those rare nights of pork chops and mashed potatoes all the more savory, but he does it all because he has to, because being where he was “there was no hope, no life, no way to get ahead,” he said.

“It’s been hard,” Galloway said. “I never thought about taking off on a bike across the country, and I lost so much weight that you just don’t know what to buy anymore. I had asthma, my heart would be hurting me cause I’d be climbing up a hill and three or four times I’d have to stop. Now, people ride up alongside me and wonder when I’ll take a breath. For me to go all the way across the country took hope, faith. If I lost that, then life doesn’t mean nothing to anybody.”

And so faith and hope fueled him from Jersey to California, and, when he struggled to find a place there, all the way back again.

That’s what led him here, too, during an unscheduled stop en route to Maine, to a place of rest and recuperation at Adam Miller Toy & Bicycle, where the doorbell dinged every few minutes or so with families wandering in — some in search for paints for their model trains, others for oiled chains and mid-summer tune-ups — and a quiet, muggy morning left him to soak up every bit of small-town summer living as he could.

“For right now, for me being right here, a man ended up being curious about my bike,” Galloway said. “He was worried, you know, ‘Aren’t you tired?’ Well yeah, I’m tired — and wet, muddy. I’ve got sweat, the whole works — I ride day and night.”

And so, after a meal shared between two new friends and a night’s stay at the Attican Motel, Galloway peddled onward. But he didn’t get very far.

Wayne “Mooch” Acquard was up early on Sunday — “oh 7:30 or 8 o’clock” — when Galloway, belongings in tow, caught his eye.

“He was heading north on 98, right by my shop,” Acquard said. “I had my dog with me, so I had to take him back home, but on the way to church as we were going down Railroad Avenue, I see him sitting, and he’s got a tire pump with him. I said, ‘Honey, I’ve got to turn around,’ and she said, ‘I know.’”

When he and his wife, Shellie, drew nearer, they saw the sign strapped to Galloway’s trailer — “Criss-crossing the country with a brain injury” — and knew they had to learn more.

They spoke for a spell, formalities regarding Galloway’s health and whether he needed any help with his bike now out of the way, before Acquard thought they’d best move on...

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Man biking across U.S. stops in southern Oregon KDRV

Ashland, OR - William Galloway is biking from one end of the country to the other to raise awareness about brain injuries. He is currently on his third trip from coast to coast. He was hit by a drunk driver 13 years ago, which left him with a brain injury.

Galloway turned to his recumbent bike for therapy. His first cross-country trip was from New Jersey to Southern California where he wanted to get help at a brain injury clinic.

He said the clinic didn't work out, but he wanted to continue biking.

He's been biking across the country ever since. With the help of generous strangers, he's seen success.

"I had truck drivers stop and ask me you know do you need a cup of coffee, get in the truck get thawed out, they said we've been seeing you out here riding you know, where you going," Galloway said.

Galloway stopped at Marty's Cycle shop in Ashland to look at a few new parts for his bike.

He said he will stop and stay in places for short periods of time if he can find work like washing dishes or doing yard work.

He has a PayPal account set up. You can click here to access it.

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William Galloway stands with his recumbent bicycle on Skubitz Plaza shortly before
leaving Fort Scott after a brief stay on his journey to Washington.
He is spreading the word about people with brain injuries.
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Local News: He just keeps pedaling (11/15/19) Fort Scott Tribune

Fort Scott, KS - Life changed forever for William Galloway one day in 2005 when a drunken driver smashed into his vehicle. He doesn’t remember any details. He’s been told his head struck a fire hydrant.

And for a long time, he was angry at the driver and the legal system.

He’s also been angry that people with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) are forced to live within the confines of “the system.”

“I had so much frustration over what I had lost,” Galloway said.

See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story.

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William Galloway is pictured next to his bike at the Baltzell Lodge Motel Wednesday morning. The New Jersey native stopped in Great Bend, KS overnight in the midst of his ongoing cross-country cycling journey.
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Cross-country cyclist stops in Great Bend - GREAT BEND TRIBUNE Great Bend Tribune

New Jersey native 58-year-old William Galloway says he’s encountered a lot of good and a lot of bad in his nearly three years crossing the country on his specially-equipped recumbent bicycle.

But more than 20,000 miles and nearly seven cross country trips into his one-man mission, Galloway says it’s hope and faith in the kindness of others that keeps him pedaling away.

Nearly 15 years ago, Galloway was hit by a drunk driver in his native New Jersey while cycling, and suffered a traumatic brain injury which has caused him seizures, severed headaches, memory issues and other mental health issues that have made it difficult for him to find work since the accident. A scar on the right side of his head demonstrates where doctors removed part of his skull after the accident.

For years, he said, he relied on assisted living, group homes and government assistance. As he recovered, he wanted more from life than just getting by on those things, and felt like he could do better.

In October 2017, he set out on a mission both to get himself help and to bring awareness to others with traumatic brain injuries. He hopped on a specialized bike in his native New Jersey and headed for Amen Clinics in Costa Mesa, Calif., where he was offered help dealing with his injuries.

Once he got to California, though, he observed the homeless population, and how many of the clinics were backed up with years-long waiting lists. They wanted to keep him in homeless shelters until they could get him in, and Galloway said he did not want to live life like that. He wanted more. So, he decided to continue his cross-country journey, seeking help for his injury, and along the way telling his story of hope and determination.

Over the course of almost three years, that journey has taken him a lot of places.

There is not a lot that slows him down, either. Galloway said he has ridden both day and night, and in all kinds of weather. He recalls times of falling asleep in his bike and waking up surrounded by two feet of snow. He said nights in a hotel like he experienced in Great Bend Tuesday night are a rarity. He often sleeps in a bike specially designed to accommodate the effects of his injuries.

Because he suffers frequent seizures as a result of the injury, the bike is designed so his head and body are safely supported in the event one occurs while he is riding.

Though his ability to continue on his journey is often ...

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William Calloway sits on his bike in Centralia, WA.​

Man With Brain Injury Biking Across U.S. For Sixth Time Makes Stop in Lewis County Centralia Chronicle

William Galloway’s cross-country bicycle trips began about two years ago when he found himself struggling to get by, “mad at the system” and desiring more help for his brain injury. At age 56, in October of 2017, he left his home state of New Jersey and started peddling — biking coast to coast five times — living the life of a nomad and telling his story along the way.

Galloway recently found himself in Centralia after making his way down from Bellevue, the location of an Amen Clinic location, a clinic that focuses on brain health, where he said he is hoping to get some help.

“It takes time to get help through the Amen Clinic. They are willing to accept me. I’m waiting for an opening to get into the hyperbaric chamber. It’s a big tank and they put pressure on your body to get the blood flowing to the brain. You have to go to 20 to 30 sessions to see any kind of results. I hope it will help with my dizziness and concentration,” Galloway said.

Fifteen years ago, Galloway was hit by a drunk driver which resulted in a traumatic brain injury that he says makes concentration difficult and causes seizures, making it difficult to keep a job. Before the accident, Galloway said he was a truck driver but can no longer pass the physical.

“I ended up in assisted living for seven years after nine months in the hospital so I wanted to get my life back and work and not rely on $36 worth of food stamps,” Galloway said.

He said he didn’t like how he felt or acted while taking the medications that the doctors had him on and wanted to find other ways to help alleviate the symptoms of this brain injury.

“I didn’t want to just sit in a room in front of the TV for the rest of my life. I want to get help and I just want to get my story out,” Galloway said.

He said that he tried getting work through a temp agency but he would get headaches on the job and his supervisors wouldn’t be understanding of his brain injury. He wasn’t able to keep a job and became frustrated.

“I just keep going because I don’t want to stay in a community and have people see me on the streets every day because I’m sitting around waiting on the system,” Galloway said.

Over the course of the past two years, Galloway biked through Colorado snow, Californian deserts, Nebraskan cornfields, and Washington rain but he said that the best part about living the way he does is the people and the kindness of strangers that he experiences along the way. He said it takes him about three months to get from one side of the country to the other depending on how many stops he makes.

Life on the road isn’t always safe, Galloway recounted times he was threatened, harassed, stolen from, had garbage thrown at him, been run off the road and is often misunderstood and treated like a criminal or drug addict, but he doesn’t let those experiences deter him from peddling on.

Galloway went through six years ...

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Biking for brain injuries | Determined cyclist raises brain injury awareness Sand Mountain Reporter

For the past three years, New Jersey native William Galloway has been biking all over the country on his recumbent Tricycle spreading awareness about brain injury, something he said many people don’t consider to be a pressing issue.

After being struck by a drunk driver that caused brain damage and seizures, the 58-year-old has been on a mission to seek help with his treatments while also helping others with disabilities.

Pulling a small trailer containing his belongings and sleeping gear, Galloway made his way through the Sand Mountain area last month on his way to Huntsville.

Three months before that, he was in San Fransisco. He tries to get in about 60 miles per day, he said, and has biked nearly 25,000 miles so far — equivalent to the distance around the world.

He was placed in a rehabilitation home after his accident 10 years ago, but said he could not stand being cooped up indoors being told what to do. So he took to the road and hasn’t looked back since.

Braving dangerous highways — including U.S. 431 — and rough weather, Galloway said he’s relied on the kindness of strangers to fund his continuing journey.

Like the signage posted on his trailer says ...

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Crossing the country for a cause Daily Sentinel

OHIO VALLEY — It is not unusual for a person to stop in the Middleport Police Department asking to speak to an officer on duty, but the man who stopped by last Friday evening had an important message to share.

When Sgt. Shannon Smith responded to the call of a person wishing to speak with an officer he met William Galloway, a man in his late 50s who is currently on his ninth, 3,000-mile trek across the county via bicycle.

Galloway was stopping in Middleport for the night, having biked from Winfield, West Virginia, through Point Pleasant, West Virginia and into Gallipolis, Ohio, on Friday before ending up in Middleport.

He stopped at the police department to ask about spending the night in one of the parks in the village. Instead, Smith offered Galloway a bed in the village’s gymnasium for the night, as well as dinner and a conversation. It was there that Galloway shared his story with Ohio Valley Publishing.

Several years ago, Galloway was struck by a drunk driver while crossing the roadway in a crosswalk in New Jersey, where he lived at the time. During his recovery from the traumatic brain injury suffered in the incident, Galloway was placed in an assisted living facility and a group home. He explained that he wanted to have a normal life back and to have someone to advocate for him to lead a normal life.

Galloway added that he wanted to have his freedom and to receive treatment other than medication for the brain injury. He was referred to a clinic in Southern California for help. It was then he decided to bike, something he had always done prior to his injury.

From the clinic, Galloway continued biking in California until he came to Bishop, where he saw a sign for Worcester, Massachusetts, 3,000 miles and decided to bike the distance. Galloway has been in all 48 or the lower states in the United States.

Among his travels Galloway has had back surgery which delayed his trips for around five weeks.

On Jan. 23, 2019, Galloway got back on the bicycle and has not stopped since. He explained that not each trip is from the east coast to the west coast, but is a total of 3,000 miles. He has changed his routes some due to the pandemic, as well as some protests and other events in different cities. He averages 60 miles per day on a typical day.

While the journey is about raising awareness for those with traumatic brain injuries and ...

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William Galloway says he’s seen and been through a lot over the past few years, and all from a recumbent tricycle.
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A long ride for a cause | News, Sports, Jobs Marshall Independent

“It’s a life I never thought I’d be living,” Galloway said. But although it could be physically tough, he couldn’t give up. “I’m on a mission.”

For the past three-and-a-half years, Galloway has been criss-crossing the U.S. on his bike. He’s currently on his ninth trip across the continent. During a stop in Marshall on Monday, the New Jersey man said he hopes to raise awareness of traumatic brain injuries, and the issues that people recovering from TBI face.

“I’ve always been a bicycle nut, ever since I was a kid,” Galloway said. But several years ago he was hit by a drunk driver and hospitalized with a serious head injury. Recovery was hard, and Galloway said he was frustrated with being in assisted living and group homes, and didn’t like the medications he was prescribed. Galloway said he has seizures, and had problems with memory and communicating after his injury. He had a hard time finding an employer who understood his condition.

When he started his cycling journey, Galloway was headed for a clinic in California where he hoped he could get a different kind of treatment.

“I started trekking towards that clinic,” he said. But he’s stayed on the road since then, towing his gear in a trailer. Galloway said he’s currently on his third bike. By now, he’s been to every U.S. state except Alaska and Hawaii, he said.

“I just can’t give up. Shelters are not really my cup of tea,” Galloway said.

Galloway said he’s faced plenty of good and bad out on the road. He talked about times he’s faced bitterly cold weather and hypothermia, or been run off the road by other vehicles. But he’s also met people who have helped him out, or donated money or time to keep his bike in working order.

“I met a lot of great people. I wouldn’t have made it this far without them,” Galloway said. Last week in Blue Earth County, he was run off the road, but a deputy from the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office picked him up and took him to lunch.

Galloway said he had hoped to maybe find work in Minnesota, as many businesses say they’re hiring. However, he said it’s hard to get a job or get assistance without an address. The kinds of jobs he does pick up as he travels tend to be things like landscaping, he said.

Galloway said he’s heading toward South Dakota, where he might make a stop in the small town of Hitchcock. But his overarching goal is to ...

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The invisible disability: Life with an injured brain Scottsbluff Star Herald

Traveling down from Crawford on Sunday, June 20, a driver in a vehicle catches up to a man on a recumbent bicycle fighting against the wind. The man in the vehicle asks if cyclist wanted to catch a ride down to Scottsbluff. He took him up on the offer; he needed to take his bike into a bike shop anyway.

The name of the man on the bike was William Galloway, also known as Bicycle Bill. He’s traveled across the nation on his bike not once, not twice, but eight times, and is working on his ninth. He’s traveled through all 48 Continental states, but there is one that he won’t ever go back through.

“Every time I get close enough to New Jersey … I’ll turn north or south. I won’t go into New Jersey,” he told the Star-Herald as he got his bike repaired at Sonny’s Bike Shop on East Overland. “It just brings up too much.”

Becoming Bicycle Bill
Galloway grew up in New Jersey, and in 2004 at the age of 43, he was hit by a drunken driver, resulting in a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that required a nine-month stay at the hospital. It changed the course of the then-truck driver’s life forever. To this day, he still suffers side-effects like headaches, seizures and difficulties with writing.


Throughout his entire recovery process he said he felt like people were telling him what to do and how to live, and even experienced people who didn’t want to see him actually get better. In the beginning stages, he did the rehab and the therapy. He lived in assisted living, a group home and low-income housing for a little bit as he continued to work on getting better. But it never felt like he had anyone truly helping him to actually get back on his feet.

He would attempt to get jobs but people would question his lack of previous employment or wouldn’t understand the breaks he needed to take because of his disability. The few people who would take a chance on him would then not want him back the next day, he said. He didn’t have anyone to advocate for him.

“I’ve had Social Security kind of track me down, I’ll put it that way, twice. They asked me because there was an overpayment thing. I said, ‘You want that? I want people to advocate for me for a job.’


“I said, ‘I don’t understand.’ I said, ‘Somebody (who) works in a state agency, you can set up an appointment to see them, and all of the sudden they can call in sick the next day, and then take two or three days off because they have a disability.’ I said, ‘So, why can’t I do that ...

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Cyclist brings awareness to brain injuries Yahoo News

Dec. 30—William Galloway is trying to draw attention.

The 60-year-old cyclist from Wildwood, New Jersey, has been pedaling cross country for four years raising awareness for people who suffer from traumatic brain injuries.

"When I was 43, I was hit by a drunk driver," Galloway said. "I've come a long ways to sit here and talk like this. Folks back in New Jersey don't know how far I've come."


During the four years, he has cycled across the United States 11 times. His first trip was to one of the Amen Clinics, a behavioral health clinic, and it was on that trip he started to gain some exposure.

"I ended up meeting a lady in Arizona, and her husband knew a guy from Channel 13 news," he said. "So when I got to Yuma, they did a story on me, and it went viral and I didn't know it. When I got to the clinic, they wanted to give me free help because of the story on how far I had come on a bicycle, and why I did it.

"I worked my way up to Bishop, California, in February 2018, and I saw a sign that said Worcester, Massachusetts, 3,000 miles. I started trucking across America and haven't stopped."

Galloway is headed to Pilot Point, Texas, and was forced to stop in Muskogee on Wednesday to fix the spokes in the rear wheel of his recumbent bike. When he Googled bike repair shops in the area, he found Ron Milligan, who was more than willing to help.

"I definitely will make it worth his while," said Milligan, the proprietor of Ron's Bike Repair in the back of the Hoopes Hardware building. "My son (whose real name is Ronald but goes by Wonk) used to work here and he has some time invested in learning wheel truing and stuff. I continue to let him do that."

Once Galloway returns to the road, safety can be a factor.

"I've been run off the road, people try to rob you," he said. "With the kindness unexpected from ...

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‘Rolling advocate’ visits Clarksville Wilmington News Journal, OH

CLARKSVILLE — A local church recently had a special guest come stay the night. Arriving on Sunday, William Galloway made a stop at the Clarksville United Methodist Church during his ride across America on his recumbent trike.

Kathy Rager, treasurer of the church, told the News Journal Galloway made a stop on his 14th trip across the country to raise awareness for those who suffer traumatic brain injury.

“When William was 43-years-old, he was hit by a drunk driver and suffered a brain injury that would leave him unable to return to his truck driving career and unable to obtain work elsewhere due to memory issues,” said Rager.

Galloway, from New Jersey, told Rager he has lived in and out of group homes, assisted living, and low-income housing, but it was not the life for him. Galloway told Rager that he always liked bikes, so on his first outing he set out on an adventure to ride his bicycle to a place called the Amen Clinic in Bellevue, Washington, where he would seek help.

“He began to travel and people became curious as to what he was doing. With that growing interest, people began to speak to others about his journey, and soon William was telling the world about how he is coping with the aftermath of traumatic brain injury,” said Rager. “The news of his journey has traveled as well and now William is a rolling advocate for people dealing with traumatic brain injury. William is driven to undo the stigma that follows this kind of injury.”

Galloway has faced many challenges, according to Rager, while on his adventure. He’s been run off the road, almost froze to death out west, and had his gear stolen off his bike.

He says his biggest Challenge is knowing where he is going to stop for the night, having spent many nights outside beside his bike. The most positive experiences he’s had are the kind things that people do unexpectedly.

“He lightens up as he talks about ...

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William Galloway's never-ending journey across America, with a ... The Portager

Clean cut and soft spoken, William Galloway relaxed in Kent’s Scribble’s Coffee shop and gazed outside at the recumbent bicycle he’s called home since 2017.

A real-life Forrest Gump, Galloway has ridden across America 15 times, eating, sleeping and showering where he can. He relies entirely on his own thin resources or on the unexpected kindness of total strangers.

June 21 and the morning of June 22 found him in Kent, Ohio, preparing to head west. He’d slept the previous night in a pavilion outside Maplewood Christian Church on state Route 88, noting that the church leadership had kindly alerted the sheriff’s office not to roust him.

In a few hours he’d be heading west of Akron, hopefully making it to the Medina area where at least the terrain would be flatter, he said.

Each cross-country trek takes about two and a half months, though he did one in seven weeks. He said he tries to ride 50 to 60 miles a day, picking what he anticipates to be the safest routes: bike trails, county and state highways, and, where legal, interstates.

“I’ve been in Kent three or four times before. I’ve been down Route 44, but it’s like playing chicken with traffic,” he said.

Galloway’s life did not always center around two wheels, or three. He remembers living a solid middle class lifestyle in New Jersey before a drunk driver injured him in 2004. He was 43 years old.

Suffering from seizures and traumatic brain injury, he lost his career as a truck driver. Stints in rehab facilities and group homes followed.

In October 2017, Galloway heard about a California clinic that treats people with brain injuries and mood disorders. Lacking a driver’s license, he hopped on his two-wheel bicycle and started riding, only to experience four seizures within 100 miles.

Galloway sunk his savings into a recumbent bike that would, he said, at least ...

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