Tom's Big Ride

Yes, there really is a Tom, as in Tom Mork, a banker in Lakeville, MN, and yes, there really was a Big Ride, as in 2,150 miles…the length of the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico to Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota that was completed in August, 2015. The larger question, and the one most likely on your mind, is…why?

The simple answer to that question is that Tom has a story to tell about how he has struggled to deal with his daughter’s bipolar diagnosis of several years ago.  It hasn’t always been pretty, and before, during, and after the ride, he’s told his story…replete with ignorance, despair, bewilderment, humor, and yes…hope.  He wants to help other parents, and dads in particular, avoid the mistakes that he made.

During the ride, Tom and his fellow riders increased awareness for mental health issues and raised money to support the good work that the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has been doing for years.  And they had more than their fair share of adventure along the way. But mostly, they spread a message of hope for people who daily deal with mental health challenges and for their families, who are all too often also confused and broken by this misunderstood and stigmatized disease.