by Tiffany Razzano
Rather than allow himself to become overwhelmed by grief, Ogawa decided to do something more proactive - ride his bike across the country in order to raise money for the American Cancer Society (ACS) in memory of his father. His goal is to raise at least $15,000 by the end of his 3,700-mile trip, which began on Sept. 6, in Ashland, Va., and will end in San Francisco, Ca. sometime in mid-October.
"Cancer is one of those things that affects everyone," Ogawa said. "Everyone knows at least someone, whether in their family or a friend's family, that is affected
by it and it's one of those things that can be stopped in our lifetime."
Though his father wasn't a big bike rider, a bike trip across the country is still a fitting tribute to him, Ogawa said. "He was a big outdoorsman," he said. "He loved camping, hiking and fishing. When he was younger, he would climb Mt. Washington, then ski down
it. When I was younger, we used to go camping a lot. He especially loved fishing. If he had his way, he'd be out on the water whenever he could be." Ogawa knows that his father would have not only supported the trip, but had he been his son's age, he would have
been out there on the road with him.
A volunteer firefighter in Greenport, Ogawa decided to contact firehouses across the country in order to find a place to stay on some nights. He said that on the first part of the trip he's found that many of the volunteer firehouses are unmanned, but has heard firehouses out west are much more accommodating. For the most part he's stayed in motels, a handful of firehouses that were available, and once even slept in the parking lot of an empty firehouse.
"So far the trip has been pretty good," he said. "It's nice to be out on the road. I'm having a lot of fun and meeting a lot of interesting people."
Though his mother, Ellen Ogawa, worries, she's proud of her son and knows he's doing what is right for him. "I am very proud of him," she said. "It makes me nervous, but I am very proud of him for doing this, for setting a goal for himself and following through."
In order to take the trip without the constraints of a strict time line, he quit his job as a computer engineer at the Eastern Long Island Hospital in Suffolk County. He held this position for nearly a year, since graduating from Bucknell University with a B.S. in computer science and engineering in 2005.
"He left the job because he didn't want the pressure," his mother said. "This is a journey he felt he needed to go on and I really am very proud of him. It's a long way to California... He's met a lot of other people along the way and is having some interesting
experiences. I really think it's great."
The South Side High School graduate, plans on flying back to New York at the end of his trip so that he can run in the New York City marathon in November.
"There's no time for me to turn around and attempt the ride back," he said.
After that, everything is up in the air for Ogawa. He plans to move back to Rockville Centre with his mother and take the New York City fire test in January. "I have no set plans," he said. "I'm moving back to Rockville Centre for a little while, while I try to figure out where I'm going. When I find the right job, that's where I'll go, when I find something that's
piqued my interest."
