Portraits of the Jersey Shore Finding Purpose with Bicycle for St Judes-Portraits of the Jersey Shore Finding Purpose with Bicycle for St Judes-

Finding Purpose with Bicycle for St Judes

“My proudest moment was when I not too long ago set out to ride my bike across the country. I was never a cyclist really before that. I just got this idea in my head, and I just couldn’t get it out. I did it because I had to overcome my own demons. I had a lot of static in my head. I was going through a hard time at that point in my life, and I needed to clear my head. So I mapped out my routes and set out. I also organized to use my trip to raise funds for St. Jude’s along the way, to help the kids.

“I rode my bike from here all the way through to Virginia, and I was so proud of myself. I had this super boost of confidence at that point. As I traveled I went from shop to shop making tattoos on the way out there to raise funds. But then I started going west. It got hard. When I was going across the desert, it was at times 100 miles between stops, and sometimes some stops had water and no food, and other times it had food and no water.

“I ran out of time and resources, so I just couldn’t make it all the way west. I went as far as Colorado. It just got to be too much. It was definitely one of those times I had to swallow my pride. I honestly am my own worst critic, and I was really down on myself that I didn’t finish what I had set out to do, what I had started. But I was able to raise $10,000 for my cross-country bicycle trip. So that helps, knowing I am able to do something to contribute to society.”

~ White Lotus Tattoos, Toms River

 — with Mike Di Dia

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