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Senior Star
Mark Junge, 61-Year-Old Oxygen-Dependent Cyclist
Completes Cross-Country Trek
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To see
video of Mark describing his challenge -
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Oct. 6, 2004 - Yesterday, 61-year-old Mark Junge
capped off a 3,400-mile bicycle journey from San Francisco to New York
City with a victory celebration in Times Square. What makes this
accomplishment so amazing is that he suffers from blood clots in his
lungs and needs oxygen 24 hours a day.
It was a promotional trip sponsored by the liquid
oxygen system he used Helios but it still deserves praise and
recognition for the personal triumph and motivation for seniors and
oxygen therapy patients.
Mr. Junge (pronounced "Young-ee") is a retired
historian and photographer from Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Beginning in 1971, Junge served as historian for
the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office and later became Deputy
State Historic Preservation Officer. When he retired from state
government in 1995, he was Wyoming State Historian and editor of the
state's quarterly history journal, Wyoming Annals.
His photography work includes coverage of sports
and the performing arts for the Wyoming State Tribune-Eagle. Junge
photographed the Denver Broncos football team, the Denver Nuggets
basketball team, and the University of Wyoming football and basketball
teams from 1975 to 2002.
In the winter of 2002, blood clots developed in
Junges lungs. Because the problem was atypical, its cause was not
immediately recognized. As a result, the clots caused permanent damage
that reduced his lung capacity, requiring Junge to now use oxygen for
sleeping, walking and exercising.
Having dedicated his professional career to
preserving history, Junge is now the first man requiring liquid oxygen
to cross the United States on bicycle. On June 12, Junge began the
3,400-mile trek from San Francisco to New York City along the historical
Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental roadway built specifically
with the automobile in mind.
Staring down adversity, Junge refused to let his
lung condition shake his long-held desire to attempt this journey. By
going forward with this trip, I hope to inspire those who, like me, want
to live their lives as they envision they should be lived, Junge said,
before his departure.
"I've been cycling my entire life, and I thought
this dream was crushed when my pulmonologist told me I had to go on
oxygen over a year ago, but HELiOS has kept my dream alive. Beyond my
dream, this trip became a cause with each mile I rode. It allowed me to
demonstrate and inspire oxygen-dependent individuals and seniors across
the nation that they can and must remain active and independent."
Also an accomplished author, Junge's books include
Wyoming: A Guide to Historic Sites (1976), J.E. Stimson: Photographer of
the West (1985), Wyoming: A Pictorial History (1989), The Wind is My
Witness: A Wyoming Album, (1997), and A View From Center Street (2003).
He also produced "25 Years of Cowboy Basketball, a year 2000
photographic calendar.
Junge lives with his wife, Ardath, who retired in
2002 following a thirty-year teaching career. Ardath will play a key
role during this three-month odyssey by driving Marks support vehicle
and providing logistical assistance. Together they have two sons. Andrew
Junge is an art instructor at the University of San Francisco. Dan Junge
is a documentary filmmaker and partner in JustMedia, a non-profit
filmmaking company in Denver, Colorado.
Junge's condition is one type of respiratory
illness often treated with oxygen. The most common condition is chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, which is a leading cause of
illness and disability in the United States. According to the American
Lung Association, COPD is the fourth leading cause of death - behind
cardiovascular disease, cancers and stroke - claiming the lives of
118,000 Americans annually. In 2002, 11.2 million U.S. adults were
diagnosed with COPD but up to 24 million U.S. adults have evidence of
impaired lung function, indicating an under-diagnosis of the disease.
Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the most common diseases that
compose COPD.
The HELiOSฎ Personal Oxygen System he had on his
hip is from Puritan Bennett, a Tyco Healthcare company. Unlike
traditional oxygen canisters that are cumbersome and difficult to
transport, the portable HELiOS device is small enough to hang from a
shoulder bag.
Copyright: SeniorJournal.com |
