Proving them all wrong

The distance from San Francisco to San Diego is more than 620 miles. It takes 73 minutes to fly and about eight hours to drive there, and Sean Simonson is going to bike there in one week.

“Either I’ll have arms like a gorilla or they’ll have fallen off somewhere in Marina Del Ray,� Simonson said.

Simonson is a quadriplegic with some function in his arms, and he began pedaling himself with his arms to San Diego on Saturday. Simonson was joined by his brother, David Simonson, and childhood friend Melia Kakita for the weeklong journey.

The three, collectively known as Team Simonson, are riding in the Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge to raise money for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps disabled athletes participate in sports. The foundation provides athletes across the nation with equipment, training and support. The team has raised more than $16,000.

The foundation helped Simonson get back into sports after his injury, Kakita said.

“It’s been such a positive beacon,� she said. “If it didn’t exist, Sean’s recovery wouldn’t have been the same.�

Although the trio are taking on an extreme physical challenge, Sean Simonson said he is more worried about his face being sore from laughing.

“It’s going to be like the improv is going to be following me on the coast,� he said.

The three graduated from Edison High School together and are going to make a pit stop in their hometown to meet with friends and family. They will be stopping at noon today at Savannah at the Beach.

From there, they hope people will join them on their journey. Huntington Beach resident Michele VanRy is going to ride with them to Newport Beach to support Simonson and the foundation. VanRy said she recently started riding because of Simonson, and he even inspired her to do a 5K.

“Sean is amazing. His story is inspirational and he is proof that [the Challenged Athletes Foundation] helps people,� VanRy said in an e-mail.

Although Simonson is nonchalant about the undertaking, the trip is significant for him. He was training for a similar bike ride in Santa Cruz in 2006 when he injured his neck. He said he hit a pothole and went over the handlebars, with his forehead landing on the ground and his body going over it.

After the injury, the doctor told him he was never going to get out of bed and would need 24-hour care, but his family was quick to put the doctor in his place. One family member, Simonson recalled, told the doctor, “You don’t know who this man is.�

After 70 days of rehabilitation, Simonson said, he would do laps in his wheelchair at the hospital, and every time he went by the doctor, he would wave. Finally, the doctor came out and, not recognizing him, asked Simonson who he was.

“I told him, ‘This is why you can’t tell someone they can’t do something,’� Simonson said. “Every time they tell me I can’t do something, I go out and do it. It’s absolutely so much fun proving these people wrong.�

Help Out

Make a donation to the Challenged Athletes Foundation and sponsoring Team Simonson by going to www.mdc2009.kintera.org and clicking on sponsor a rider.