Last weekend, I joined my friend Janne for NextStep's charity bike ride for paralysis.  He is riding from Boston to D.C. and I joined him from New York City to Philadelphia to raise awareness and funds to support NextStep and the six million individuals living with paralysis in the U.S.

In August 2006, Janne Kouri's life changed in a split second when, while at the beach, he dove through a wave and hit his head on a sandbar fracturing his C5 & C6 vertebrae.  In an instant, he was paralyzed from the neck down. 

He required rehab in California but was shocked to learn there was not a single progressive rehab center in the state.  Since his life threatening injury, he committed to helping others like him who require exercise by opening eight state-of-the-art, progressive, and affordable designed gyms specifically for people living with paralysis.  

Janne is a close friend and an inspiration to me which is why I would really appreciate your help in raising funds for his gyms.  NextStep's in-person benefits have been canceled since the start of COVID and they constitute 70 percent of their fundraising budget. Therefore it is vital that I am successful in reaching my fundraising goal.

No donation is too small and thank you so much in advance!

Best,

John

The crew @ NYC before embarking on a 36 mile bike ride to Seaside Heights, NJ.

The boys @ beautiful Seaside Heights before embarking on a 68 mile bike ride to Philly.

The crew on the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philly! 

Janne crossing the bridge in Philly!

In 2019 Janne and friends rode across the United States, check out their story.