News
Polish activist rides scooter to fight leukemia
 |
| Krzysztof Dzienniak spent Wednesday night in Lewistown as part of his quest to travel through all 48 continental United States raising money to fight leukemia. |
by DAVID MURRAY
News-Argus Staff Writer
The tinny rattle of the scooter’s engine sounded more appropriate for an expedition to the corner market than an epic journey across North America. Nonetheless, Krzysztof Dzienniak is relying on the two-stroke, 50 cc Suzuki engine to power his four-month-long trip across all 48 of the continental United States. He expects to complete his unusual 20,000-mile journey sometime in January, he hopes, on the set of the “Oprah Winfrey Show” in Chicago, Ill.
Dzienniak, who goes by Kris, stopped in Lewistown Tuesday night, halfway across Montana and more than 14 states through his ultimate goal of 48. The purpose of his trip is not only to experience America’s wide-open spaces up close and personally, but more importantly, to raise money to fight leukemia. According to the American Cancer Society, the blood disease kills roughly 59,000 Americans each year, many of them children. Bone marrow transplants are one of the primary biological treatments for leukemia. According to Kris, there are thousands of people in his native Poland who would like to become bone marrow donors; however, the cost of medical testing prevents many from taking that step.
“The more money I get, the more potential donors will be tested and the bigger the chance for people suffering from leukemia,” the 28-year-old activist from the city of Opole, Poland, said.
Dzienniak has set up a Web site to chronicle his journey, and he encourages the people he meets along the way to go on line, read his story and contribute what they can to his cause. The big hope though is that his travels will ultimately attract the attention of American talk show superstar Oprah Winfrey. Guests to Dzienniak’s Web site, www.20000miles.net, are invited to contact Oprah, either by letter or e-mail, and ask her to meet with him and to donate to the charitable organization he has established.
He has good reason to believe he will eventually be successful in this quest.
Four years ago, during a similar undertaking, Kris roller-skated from New York to Redmond, Wash., to raise money to help pay the medical expenses of two young Polish girls. At the end of his 100-day and nearly 3,500-mile trip on a pair of in-line skates, Kris met Microsoft founder Bill Gates and persuaded the computer mogul to donate $20,000 toward a spine operation for a 7-year-old girl and an artificial limb for an 11-year-old. Today, both girls are doing fine, he said.
Dzienniak’s current adventure began Sept. 15 in Portland, Maine. The original concept was to drive a golf cart across the country, but on his second day out, after crossing over into Vermont, Kris was pulled over by the police. The officers told him that, while they sympathized with his efforts, driving a golf cart on the highway was illegal and he would have to find some other means of transportation. It was at that point that Dzienniak switched to the scooter. The tiny bike gets about 100 miles to the gallon and has a top speed of around 20 mph. Kris typically logs in between 120 and 200 miles on the scooter each day.
Speaking very little English, Dzienniak relies on his interpreter, Aleksandra Izworska, to travel ahead of him in a donated Jeep Cherokee to scout the road in front and make preparations for each evening’s accommodations. The two frequently rely on the generosity of people they meet along the way to help them with food, gas and lodging. While in Lewistown, they spent the night at the Mountain View Motel. The motel graciously donated sleeping accommodations to the pair of intrepid travelers.
The next morning, Dzienniak set his sights on making it to White Sulphur Springs. From there he’ll set off for Helena and then continue west toward the Pacific coast.
Kris said the journey is often both exhausting and dangerous. The greatest obstacles he faces are strong head winds and passing semis, which typically don’t slow when speeding by and may have difficulty seeing the solo scooter rider.
“It’s a very hard thing,” Kris said through his interpreter. “You have to get up early in the morning, prepare the scooter, put on warm clothes and then ride for 8 to 10 hours in the wind, rain or snow. It doesn’t matter what it is like outside, we can’t have any breaks or days off.”
But given the seriousness of what Dzienniak is trying to accomplish, he’s more than willing to accept the risks.
“This is a challenge, but that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “It should be a challenge.”
If you would like to follow Krzysztof Dzienniak’s travels across the U.S., or make a contribution toward funding bone marrow testing in Poland, log on to his web site, www.20000miles.net.
Dzienniak, who goes by Kris, stopped in Lewistown Tuesday night, halfway across Montana and more than 14 states through his ultimate goal of 48. The purpose of his trip is not only to experience America’s wide-open spaces up close and personally, but more importantly, to raise money to fight leukemia. According to the American Cancer Society, the blood disease kills roughly 59,000 Americans each year, many of them children. Bone marrow transplants are one of the primary biological treatments for leukemia. According to Kris, there are thousands of people in his native Poland who would like to become bone marrow donors; however, the cost of medical testing prevents many from taking that step.
“The more money I get, the more potential donors will be tested and the bigger the chance for people suffering from leukemia,” the 28-year-old activist from the city of Opole, Poland, said.
Dzienniak has set up a Web site to chronicle his journey, and he encourages the people he meets along the way to go on line, read his story and contribute what they can to his cause. The big hope though is that his travels will ultimately attract the attention of American talk show superstar Oprah Winfrey. Guests to Dzienniak’s Web site, www.20000miles.net, are invited to contact Oprah, either by letter or e-mail, and ask her to meet with him and to donate to the charitable organization he has established.
He has good reason to believe he will eventually be successful in this quest.
Four years ago, during a similar undertaking, Kris roller-skated from New York to Redmond, Wash., to raise money to help pay the medical expenses of two young Polish girls. At the end of his 100-day and nearly 3,500-mile trip on a pair of in-line skates, Kris met Microsoft founder Bill Gates and persuaded the computer mogul to donate $20,000 toward a spine operation for a 7-year-old girl and an artificial limb for an 11-year-old. Today, both girls are doing fine, he said.
Dzienniak’s current adventure began Sept. 15 in Portland, Maine. The original concept was to drive a golf cart across the country, but on his second day out, after crossing over into Vermont, Kris was pulled over by the police. The officers told him that, while they sympathized with his efforts, driving a golf cart on the highway was illegal and he would have to find some other means of transportation. It was at that point that Dzienniak switched to the scooter. The tiny bike gets about 100 miles to the gallon and has a top speed of around 20 mph. Kris typically logs in between 120 and 200 miles on the scooter each day.
Speaking very little English, Dzienniak relies on his interpreter, Aleksandra Izworska, to travel ahead of him in a donated Jeep Cherokee to scout the road in front and make preparations for each evening’s accommodations. The two frequently rely on the generosity of people they meet along the way to help them with food, gas and lodging. While in Lewistown, they spent the night at the Mountain View Motel. The motel graciously donated sleeping accommodations to the pair of intrepid travelers.
The next morning, Dzienniak set his sights on making it to White Sulphur Springs. From there he’ll set off for Helena and then continue west toward the Pacific coast.
Kris said the journey is often both exhausting and dangerous. The greatest obstacles he faces are strong head winds and passing semis, which typically don’t slow when speeding by and may have difficulty seeing the solo scooter rider.
“It’s a very hard thing,” Kris said through his interpreter. “You have to get up early in the morning, prepare the scooter, put on warm clothes and then ride for 8 to 10 hours in the wind, rain or snow. It doesn’t matter what it is like outside, we can’t have any breaks or days off.”
But given the seriousness of what Dzienniak is trying to accomplish, he’s more than willing to accept the risks.
“This is a challenge, but that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “It should be a challenge.”
If you would like to follow Krzysztof Dzienniak’s travels across the U.S., or make a contribution toward funding bone marrow testing in Poland, log on to his web site, www.20000miles.net.
Copyright © 2009 - Lewistown News-Argus