Although New Year’s resolutions generally pertain to simple goals – and still fizzle out relatively quickly – Brian McCandless has made an impressive resolution that would make most people blanch. On June 13, McCandless and his team will set off on Brian’s Ride for Cystic Fibrosis, a 3,400-mile cycling trip from San Francisco, CA to Annapolis, MD.
He hopes to encourage others with the story of his own determination and the message: “The only disability one will face is the mentality of I can’t.”
It is a maxim the 27-year old, McCandless, the Health and Physical Education teacher at Indian River Charter High School, has endorsed all his life.
Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at just two months old, McCandless says, “I never looked at it as a burden; it’s just part of my life. I truly do believe that while I was put at a disadvantage with having cystic fibrosis, it has propelled me to do more. It’s impossible to know what I would have done without it, but I think that ultimately I’ve pushed myself further because I never wanted to be held back by it. It’s only pushed me to do amazing things to inspire others; not just to be normal but to go beyond what other people were doing.”
Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disorder that primarily affects the respiratory and digestive systems. An enzyme deficiency prevents the breakdown of mucus in the lungs, causing it to build up and block airways. Similarly, a lack of digestive enzymes prevents food from being broken down, inhibiting the absorption of nutrients. While there is at yet no cure, research can help lessen the damage and lengthen lifespans through treatments and medication.
“It’s never going to get better; it’s only going to get worse. You have to counteract that with the treatments and medication that you take,” says McCandless, who has found some relief by taking synthetic enzymes, eating the right foods, exercising regularly, and airway clearance treatments, such as back “percussion” to break up mucus in the lungs.
As a child, McCandless said people expected him to be sedentary and treated him differently, which often led to his being bullied in elementary and middle school.
“The rumor was always that I was going to die before I reached 18. People still die in their teens from complications from cystic fibrosis,” says McCandless. “I was very shy when I was younger to speak about cystic fibrosis but now I enjoy educating people about it. The more people who know about it can only get us closer to finding a cure.”
Last week, McCandless led the pack at an inaugural Resolution 5K Run/Walk, the newest in the Runner’s Depot Race Series, which took place on New Year’s Day to help raise awareness and funds for his transcontinental ride.
McCandless graduated with a teaching degree from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania and taught Physical Education in Charleston, SC, and English in Seoul, South Korea, before accepting the job here three years ago and relocating with his girlfriend, Emily Dimatteo, a physical education teacher at Fellsmere Elementary School.
It was in college where he learned what worked best for him in terms of nutrition and exercise; especially cycling.
“If I wasn’t in class, sleeping or eating I was on my bike riding. I was in really, really good shape,” McCandless remembers. It was in his freshman year, 2007, that he decided to take his first extended ride; a 2,000-mile trip from Pittsburgh to Tallahassee and back, which raised $14,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Since then, among other things, he cycled a second 2,000-mile trip, this time to New England states and back, and completed two half and one full ironman challenges, two marathons and a tough mudder obstacle course.
“I think the biggest reason that I did that first ride, and that I do any of these things, is to inspire others,” says McCandless. “No one should be held back by whatever disability they have.”
McCandless will be joined on Brian’s Ride by various other people cycling different lengths, including Dimatteo and Steve Roberts, his mentor at Slippery Rock, who will ride the full distance. He likens the trip structure to an eight-hour workday, averaging 100 miles per day depending on terrain.
“We wake up really early, we have breakfast, we’re on our bikes almost the entire day, we stop for lunch, and when we finish, we have dinner. We talk to people we meet, we share stories, go to bed and do the same the next day.”
To limit costs they plan to stay primarily with host families, campgrounds and churches, but still need sponsors to help with expenses. They are also in need of a support van; ideally a 15-passenger van.
“In this process we have met so many nice people and I know that there’s somebody out there who might be able to help,” says McCandless. “I believe everybody has their own personal struggles. But what I want to share with everyone, including my students, is that they can do anything they want to do.”
Money raised by Brian’s Ride will benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through the Boomer Esiason Foundation. Visit www.BriansRide.org for more information or to donate.
