DONATE LIFE ORGAN DONATION AWARENESS-CARBONDALE, ILLINOIS

Cyclists raise funds, awareness for organ donation

By Adam Testa / The Southern

Here is an update on a story Donate LIfe reported on in March

CARBONDALE - A North Carolina couple riding recumbent tricycles across the country to raise funds and awareness for organ donation stopped in Southern Illinois this week.

Jen Ballentine and Ken Burris have been riding since March and expect to finish their 7,000-mile ride this fall. They traveled from their North Carolina home through Virginia, Kentucky and Illinois en route to Oregon, California and their final destination of Denver.

Once they reach the Mile High City, they will meet with a young man saved by Ballentine's daughter Alex's decision to be an organ donor. At age 10, Alex Ballentine saw a commercial advocating organ donation and shocked her family by saying she didn't understand how anyone could refrain from being a donor.

"She told me she'd want to be an organ donor, and then six months later, she was hit by a car and killed," Jen Ballentine said. Alex was 11 at the time of her death, and she saved four lives by donating various organs. "So when that happened, I knew what to do. We're so proud of her."

Riding for Donate Life, the couple has had the opportunity to meet various people affected by organ donation throughout their ride. Jen Ballentine said this has been one of the most rewarding parts of the trip.

Burris said people have been following their journey through online blogs and showing much support for the project.

"This thing we're doing really works," he said. "We reach out and touch people."