Rochester Post Bulletin
07/23/2005

Bicycle trek raises awareness about hospice services

By Jeff Hansel
jhansel@postbulletin.com

Dianne Harrington fit right in at Seasons Hospice on Wednesday.

Harrington, 55, is on a cross-country bicycle ride raising awareness about hospice programs and encouraging people with terminal illness to check out the service.

Harrington is a social workers at Ministry Home Care Hospice in Marshfield, Wis. Her ride started June 20 in Oregon with the group America By Bicycle and will end Aug. 8 in New Hampshire. The group stopped in Rochester on Wednesday.

"It's been a beautiful trip. I'll never forget it," Harrington said, adding, "and I'll never do it again!"

Her message along the way has been: Live now!

"Say the things you want to say. Do the things you want to do. None of us is promised tomorrow," she said. Harrington said she has asked communities along the way to support local hospice organizations.

"We need donations to keep afloat. They serve everyone, whether they have insurance or not," she said. Hospice, she said, serves people who are terminally ill.

"It's about living. It's not about giving up or quitting. It's about making every moment matter," she said.

Harrington said she saved for four years to afford a custom-built bicycle and the trip. By the time she got to Rochester, she said, she had about $200 left.