Crowning his 3,100-mile odyssey

(Page 3 of 3)

“I’ve been blown away by the kindness, support and love from the people I’ve met,” Aghabi said, adding, “This country’s in good hands.”

After riding alongside him for three months with a camcorder in hand, France recalled witnessing every imaginable human emotion, and how relieved the crew felt once they crossed the George Washington Bridge.

“It made every awful second, every grueling moment worth it,” said France, who previously lived in New York for 18 years. “There’s just nothing like coming home.”

France, who is now involved in post-production before shopping the film around to studios, said that the documentary would offer an intimate portrait of what it means to be human, with all of its shortcomings, while taking on an extraordinary challenge.

“Suheil is the most determined out of all our cousins,” said Husam Haghab, 48, one of Aghabi’s relatives, adding, “He knows what he wants and he goes for it.”

In spite of the trip’s physical toll, Aghabi had already begun planning his next roll before he planned to return to California on Friday. Next year he intends to wheel from northern to southern Israel as a way to inspire peace between Israelis and Palestinians. He hopes to produce another film of that journey, entitled “Roll for Peace.”

“I have to be willing to die to do this,” said Aghabi, who is of Palestinian descent. “If I can change one person’s mind to not invoke pain or death on another person, then that’s worth it.”

More information about Aghabi’s plans can be found at his website, www.rollwithme.org.

Have an opinion on this story? Send Letters to the Editor to mal-wheditor@liherald.com.

Page 3 / 3