Wausaukee’s Jim Brien rides for resilience

WAUSAUKEE – For 343 miles, cyclists pedaled from Boston, Mass., to Ground Zero. Among the group pushing through the final 64-mile stretch into Manhattan, N.Y., was Jim Brien, a 79-year-old Wisconsin native riding in representation of hope and honor.

Brien took part in the Fire Responder Ride for Resilience, a memorial ride organized by Livestrong, Friends of Firefighters and Boston Fire Cancer Foundation to honor first responders and address the physical and emotional impact of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“The night before [going to Ground Zero] we had a session they put on with a meal and a program about some of the things they’re dealing with 25 years later — mental [health] issues and cancer. They went over some signs of suicide because a lot of first responders are still dealing with that,” Brien explained.
During the ride on Sept. 10, Brien biked with the group as onlookers showed their support.

“There were different stations in New York along the way that had their lights on and were cheering for us as we were on our way,” he recounted.

He followed the group along into New York before joining up with the support and gear (SAG) vehicle and attending the memorial at Ground Zero.

Brien was the second-oldest event participant and joined not only to show support for the 343 emergency responders that lost their lives during the attack — each represented by one mile on the Ride for Resilience — but also to represent Wisconsin and the Wausaukee Rescue Squad.

Brien spent over 50 years working as a licensed emergency medical technician (EMT), during which he served his community through the Wausaukee Rescue Squad. During this period, he also had a life-saving kidney transplant that impacted his service and way of life.

“It’s my second chance at life; I’ve tried to make the most of it,” Brien said of his transplant nearly 45 years ago.

Since then, he has achieved an impressive list of accomplishments, including competing in the Wisconsin Senior Games, completing 5Ks in 24 different states — with an ultimate goal of completing one in every state — and participated in the Transplant Games in all six inhabited continents. However, learning from and helping others has remained key in all that he does.

Brien followed up his Ride for Resilience participation with another memorial ride on Sept. 12 in Pennsylvania to the Flight 93 National Memorial. The national memorial honors the 40 individuals who lost their lives while successfully preventing hijackers from crashing into the U.S. Capitol.

“The real heroes were the ones on that plane. I mean, they could have gone into the [capitol]. Just describing how they took over the plane — they were heroes,” he explained.

In the face of the lasting tragedy from the terrorist attacks, memorials and awareness events help people show support and find strength in the aftermath.

“On the 11th, terrible things happened. On the 12th, everyone came together. Right now, we need to come together again in our country,” Brien concluded.

For more information about the Fire Responder Ride for Resilience and how people can show their support, visit https://impact.livestrong.org/event/first-responder-ride-for-resilience.