Santa Monica Patch | Karen Jordan | Sept. 7, 2013
It is 24 hours away and counting until Al DeCesaris, Jr., will embark on a cross-country trip unlike any he has ever made before.
DeCesaris, who just relocated to Southern California from Maryland three months ago, is heading back to the East Coast in a fundraising effort to help save the life of his niece and many others.
His niece, Jenna, is nine years old and suffers from Sturge-Weber Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.
“I’m not a cyclist,” DeCesaris said. “I’m just an uncle who wants to do something in honor of my niece.”
So on Sunday, he will leave from the Santa Monica Pier to raise money for his family’s fundraising efforts through the Celebrate Hope Foundation while also raising awareness about the disease.
He said his goal is to “to give the children and all the people who suffer with this rare disease hope that if you put your mind to things, anything is possible.”
His family has raised more than $1 million over the past eight years to go toward research for a cure, but DeCesaris hopes to help break new ground with his cross-country tour.
“I have been training,” DeCesaris said. “I’m as nervous as I am excited about it.”
As he travels from state to state, DeCesaris said he will be thinking of his niece every step of the 3,000-mile trek.
“She really is a very big part of our family,” DeCesaris said. “She’s our inspiration.”
DeCesaris is scheduled to leave at about 10 a.m. from the Santa Monica Pier.
To find out more about the trip and the Celebrate Hope Foundation, visit the website www.crossingamericaforacure.com
