Bill Ludwick starts 450-mile bike ride for son and sister

By Anya Tikka
MILFORD — A father’s sorrow propelled him on a 450-mile bike ride on Pennsylvania’s famed Route 6, from Milford all the way to Titusville.
Bill Ludwick of Milford started his ride on Sept. 9. It will take him up to eight days to raise funds in the hope that, one day, a cure will be found for the disabling neurological conditions that afflict his son and sister.
Ludwick also wanted to experience what it’s like to suffer from a permanent ailment. His 23-year-old son, diagnosed with narcolepsy-cataplexy in 2013, and his sister, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1993, have to endure the hardship and pain every day. But for him, the hardship of the ride is only temporary, he said.
Ludwick is an accomplished cyclist and been preparing for this ride for some time.
“I’ve trained since last November,” he said, standing in front of the Pike County Administration Building in Milford before starting his ride. He’ll sleep in a tent and carry 45 pounds of gear.
Ludwick has teamed up with i-Ride4.com and is hoping to raise both awareness and funds to find a cure in “whatever way the organizations think is best.” The two organizations are The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Wake Up Narcolepsy, who will also share his blog posts.
He also hopes that because Route 6 spans the entire country, the ride will grow into a national relay event.

Slow return to athletic training

Ludwick said his son was an athlete and a scholar who’d experienced some problems with sleep before getting sick. But it was not until he started college that a teacher noticed something more serious was going on. He’s now on strong medication and getting better, and has recently been getting back to athletic training.
Those suffering from narcolepsy fall asleep involuntarily for few seconds or longer. They can also experience hallucinatory episodes and feel like they haven’t slept for days, which makes it hard for them to function, according to Ludwick.
The multiple sclerosis symptoms Ludwick’s sister suffers from include extreme fatigue, impaired vision, problems with balance and walking, numbness or pain and other sensory changes, bladder and bowel symptoms, tremors, problems with memory and concentration, and mood changes, among others.
Both are diseases of the central nervous system. Currently, there’s no cure for either one.
To help by donation for research, visit www.iRide4.com.