Anyone for a ride?
By HME News Staff
Updated Wed May 31, 2006
HOUSTON - In late April, for the second year in a row, Tom Gloyer participated in the BP MS 150 Bike Tour to help raise money for the Lone Star Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Over two days, Gloyer, owner of the Home Health Store in Tomball, Texas, pedaled some 180 miles from Houston to Austin with a team organized by Sun and Ski Sports, a sporting goods store in Houston. Next year, however, he wants to ride with a team comprised of other providers in Texas and nearby states.
"I think it would be great for the HME industry, as a whole, to be represented," Gloyer said. "I mean, we work with patients that suffer from MS."
But as a smaller provider, Gloyer can't go it alone. Having a team means recruiting anywhere from 10 to 200 riders, renting tents and vans, and buying T-shirts and food.
On top of that, there's the physical commitment: Gloyer began training for this year's ride in January, working up to 80-mile rides on the weekends. But it's all worth it, he said.
"It was touching. When we went last year, they had some of the people who suffer from MS at some of the rest stops," Gloyer said. "There was also a sign on the route that said, 'Thanks for riding. MS lives here.'"
Comments