Bear River grad heads cross country

Kyle Bryant and his dad first noticed something was wrong about 10 years ago when he was playing outfield in the Bear River Little League.

Balls that Kyle was used to catching were dropping in and his throws to bases were going off line. For a year, doctors could not tell him what was wrong.

Finally, a doctor was found who said Kyle had Freidreich's Ataxia, a rare and progressive nerve and muscle disease that leaves many in wheelchairs.

"Hardly any doctors know what it is and that's part of the problem," the 25-year-old said.

Now, he hopes to change that.

Starting in January, the Bear River High School graduate will pedal his tricycle from San Diego to Memphis, Tenn., to raise awareness and money to research FA. He picked Memphis because that's where the national conference of the Freidreich's Ataxia Research Alliance will commence in mid-March.

The UC-Davis graduate will be getting two months off from his job as an environmental engineer in Sacramento for the trip. Family members and friends will ride with him and follow him in a vehicle with a trailer.

"It started out as a hair-brained idea and finally a friend said to me, 'Why not?,'" Bryant said. "I knew we just had to do something huge.

"The big thing is the awareness, not the money. I know that sounds like a cliche, but no one knows about it and we just had to draw attention to this disorder. And then my parents got on board and it just took off. "



A genetic disease

Mike and Diane Bryant admitted to worrying when they first heard of the plan, but they faith in their son as well.

"I have a lot of confidence in Kyle," Diane said. "He's pretty together and thinks things through thoroughly."

"We're very proud of him and how's he carrying on a pretty normal life," Mike said. "I've been training with him" on his mountain bike.

Kyle got FA because his parents both carry the recessive gene for it. Both were unaware they were carriers.

"We had no idea," Mike said. "We can find no family history of it."

According to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, a child who gets the gene from one parent but not the other will not get the disease but becomes a carrier. When both parents are carriers, there is a one-in-four chance the child will get FA. There is no cure, but Kyle takes an antioxidant to ward off heart trouble that many FA patients get.

Like most stricken with an incurable disease, Kyle wondered at first why he was one of the 150,000 Americans who have FA.

"But I'm over it," he said. "I've been dealing with it for 10 years and this is just the way it is. I don't get mad anymore. I want to do something constructive about it."

At past national conferences, Kyle has met many people his age with FA, and almost all of them are confined to wheelchairs.

"I'm still walking, "I'm grateful for that," Kyle said. "I'm one of the lucky ones."

Kyle drives his truck and gets around pretty easily, but there are daily hurdles.

"I grab onto walls a lot and slippery surfaces and I don't do well at all," Kyle said. "I can't do stairs anymore without a railing, but other than that, I'm pretty well off compared to a lot of people."

Kyle walks with an unsteady gait because of FA and sometimes uses a cane when he's out.

"They call it a drunk walk," Kyle said. "I look like I've put too much Kahlua in my coffee."



The trike

Kyle's ability to play sports has fallen off in the last 10 years. He has given up golf and skiing because of balance issues.

It was at UC Davis that he began having trouble getting on and off of his two-wheeled bicycle and found the tricycle, or trike, online.

"The Ice Trike" has 27 gears and seats the rider comfortably behind the two-front wheels and in front of the third.

"Because my muscles are so uncoordinated, I don't use them as much as most people," Kyle said. "The trike makes me do that. Most bikes give people butt pain, not this one."

"Riding is now my favorite thing to do," Kyle said. "If I have any spare time, it's on my trike."

Kyle took two months of time off for the trip, figuring he could average 60 miles a day with stops. He'll rest every fifth day and has bought maps from experienced cross-country cyclists giving him turn-by-turn instructions so he can miss high-traffic areas.

The tricyclist picked a southern route because of the timing and will travel 2,800 miles, starting in San Diego and traveling through Phoenix to Biloxi, Miss., where he will go due north to Memphis.

"We could hit some snow," Kyle said. "But we just got to make it to Memphis."

To contact staff writer Dave Moller, e-mail davem@theunion.com or call 477-4237.



How to help

You can help Kyle Bryant and others afflicted with Freidreich's Ataxia by donating to him or the alliance he represents.

There will also be a golf tournament July 22 at Lake of the Pines to raise funds for the ride. On National Ataxia Awareness Day on Sept. 25, Round Table Pizza at Lake of the Pines will donate a portion of the proceeds of meals purchased with a special coupon for Kyle's ride.

For more information, call Kyle's parents at 268-8552 or e-mail diane@rideataxia. org. To contact Kyle for information, e-mail kyle@rideataxia.org. You can see all about his trip at his Web site at www.rideataxia.org. To learn about the FA alliance, go to www.faresearchalliance.org.