At just 43 years old, William Galloway’s life was changed when he suffered a brain injury when he was hit by a drunk driver, a repeat offender.
On Thursday, Galloway was in Iola as part of his bicycle tour across the nation to raise awareness about brain injuries.
“I wanted better help,” Galloway said in the aftermath of his accident. “I ended up not liking the way I was treated and my life wasn’t going anywhere so I decided to find something better.”
Galloway said he was intrigued by the Amen Clinic, but the nearest locations had a three-month waiting list.
“I just wanted to go,” he said. So, starting from his home in New Jersey, Galloway pointed his bike west and headed to an Amen Clinic in California. Along the way, Galloway met people who wanted to help him as he rode.
“I’ve met so much unexpected kindness,” Galloway remarked. “I’ve met people that really worry about you when it gets cold. I had a person that wanted to put me up in a boarding house in the Panhandle of Texas for a couple of days and got my bike fixed and got me back on the road.”
The life of a man traveling across the country like Galloway isn’t glamorous. He often doesn’t know where he will sleep each night.
“It’s been a journey,” Galloway said. “There is no luxury. Sometimes I sleep out on the county road somewhere for the night up against a fence on a farmer’s ranch. Some nights I’m in a small town with a park and a pavilion.”
Another way Galloway likes to raise awareness for his cause is via social and traditional media. He has had multiple articles written about his journey and has been on a handful of podcasts during his travels.
“A majority of the time I ride and try to tell my story and how far I’ve been,” Galloway added. “People will take pictures of me on the bike and put it on their social media and my story gets out. I’ve been recognized throughout the country. I get moments where my story gets out and I don’t even know it.”
Galloway, as you may have guessed, doesn’t ride your standard two-wheel bike. Instead, his bike has two front tires and toward the very back are two more tires. Two flags are positioned about six feet high along with reflective lights to ensure Galloway’s safety at night.
“In front of the bike is what is known as a ‘boom’ that you can adjust based on size,” Galloway describes. “If you go shorter, you have to shorten the chain, of course. A trailer carrying Galloway’s supplies and sleeping equipment is located on the back and rests on the two tires, with the middle wheel between the main bike and the trailer.
“The load I have is mostly bulk stuff,” Galloway said while touring his setup. “My bed stuff is on top of the trailer.” Alongside the bed supplies, rests two water bottles, with a large backpack sitting in the middle.
Stopping at Southwind Cycle and Outdoors in Iola also gave Galloway a chance to get some much-needed work done. He fixed up his brakes and got a new chain. Galloway stays prepared, carrying his own parts to make repairs easier and more cost-efficient.
“A lot of the parts I carry with me,” Galloway said while showcasing his new parts and pieces. “Because of the pandemic and the fact that I don’t always know how my finances will be, I want to always stay ahead by having the parts rather than having to rely on someone else’s kindness.”
