Man turns motorcycle passion into cross-country charity ride for Alzheimer’s

Six years ago, Mike Hall’s mother, Sandi, passed away from Alzheimer’s. While Mike and his sister, who was his mother’s primary caregiver, have personal experience with the disease, Mike realized that not a lot of people fully understood the sheer magnitude of Alzheimer’s.

In an interview with ABC4, Mike said that in a gigantic football stadium, “7 million people suffering with it [Alzheimer’s], and another 11 million people as caregivers would fill that football stadium 180 times”. The vast impact of Alzheimer’s disease on people, and a lack of awareness, inspired Mike to raise money for Alzheimer’s research.

The Alzheimer’s Association reports that “more than 38,300 people are living with Alzheimer’s. 115,000 caregivers dedicate 137 million hours of unpaid care” in Utah alone. However, there is no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

Mike is now traveling cross-country on his motorcycle to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s Disease. On June 21st, he started at the Atlantic Ocean in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. He intends to finish his journey at Cape Blanco State Park in Oregon by the end of July. He estimates he will have traveled approximately 7,000 miles by the time he’s done, a lot of which has been over dirt roads.

Along the way, he has stopped in both big and small towns and talked to people in each- most of whom have a story about someone they knew with Alzheimer’s or have been a caregiver for someone with the disease. On July 9th, he stopped in Salt Lake City.

Hall hopes to raise $100,000 by the end of his ride. The entirety of proceeds will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association and will be used for research, care, and support for those living with Alzheimer’s and those caring for them. Additionally, he highlighted other available resources, including a 24/7 helpline.

Of the entire experience, Mike says “It’s about connection and making sure that we understand that we are all in this together”.

Even when his cross-country ride is over, though, Mike will be continuing his work for raising awareness in Alzheimer’s. He knows the disease isn’t going anywhere soon and hopes to complete another ride for the Alzheimer’s Association in the future. He encourages people to keep up with him during the rest of his adventure, via his website.

Mike left ABC4 with this, “Eventually, we will win this thing, but we have a long way to go.”

Connor Comeau contributed to this story.