After being hit by an SUV while cycling in 2001, Michael OBrien was told by doctors that he would most likely never ride a bike again.
This summer, to celebrate his full recovery and to champion the health care professionals at The University of New Mexico Hospital who got him this far, he’s challenging himself to ride his bike across the country.
“This whole ride is about gratitude,” OBrien said. “One of things I live by is honoring the work that everyone did at UNMH. In so many ways, I try to live a life that was worth saving.”
Twenty-one years ago, OBrien was on a business trip in Albuquerque when he got on his bike for a few early morning miles before a company meeting. Less than an hour later, his life was totally upended. To this day, he can still remember the sound of slamming against the vehicle’s front grill and into the windshield.
He had broken many bones, including both of his legs and a shoulder. When OBrien regained consciousness on his way to UNMH, he asked the EMTs about the state of his bike – it was beyond repair.
“When I was in the hospital, it felt like I had reached the lowest point in my life,” OBrien said. “I was scared.”
After many surgeries – eventually 12 in all – and countless doctors’ appointments and physical therapy sessions, OBrien came to call July 11, 2001, his “last bad day.”
I became determined to get back on the bike, and when I did, I just tried to make progress every day. The challenge keeps me motivated. I’m always looking for what I can do today to make a better tomorrow
“I became determined to get back on the bike, and when I did, I just tried to make progress every day.” he said. “The challenge keeps me motivated. I’m always looking for what I can do today to make a better tomorrow.”
One thing that has remained important to OBrien is maintaining a connection with the trauma team and orthopedic surgeons who helped save his life.
“I know it probably happens all the time – trauma patients come into the hospital and after they leave, the trauma team wonders what happened to that person,” he said. “We just have so much appreciation for the EMTs that arrived, the medivac team, Dr. [Robert] Schenck, and the whole team who helped me. I really appreciate what the whole team was able to do for us all those years ago.”
OBrien’s wife, Lynn Christensen, said the team at UNMH made the two of them and their two daughters feel supported after the accident.
“The doctors truly cared about our whole family,” Christensen said. “They were extremely supportive.”
OBrien and Christensen are currently in the middle of their cross-country trip. In what he’s calling his “Rise 2 Ripple Challenge,” OBrien is taking 46 days – from June 14 to July 31 – to travel from Astoria, Ore., to Yorktown, Va., on his bike. Christensen is following OBrien along in an RV with their two dogs, Jester and Hope.
After each ride, OBrien posts daily to social media to update his supporters and followers. Additionally, each day during his Instagram Live posting, OBrien highlights a charity, non-profit, or organization – including the UNM Health Sciences Center and the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.
“I wanted to use this ride as a way to share that there’s really good people in the world doing really amazing things,” he said. “I couldn’t just pick one charity. So, some are domestic, some are global, but they all have one thing in common – they all help people live better lives.”
