Disability doesn’t stop cross-country bicyclist

After childhood years spent in Shriners hospital, Newton man gives back

? When he was born, doctors predicted a lifetime of disability for Jerry Smith.

But Smith, now 67, has traveled coast to coast three times and ridden the roller-coaster roads of the Canadian Rockies from Montana into Alaska. Last fall, he traveled the Lewis and Clark Trail.

He’s done it all by bicycle.

“Years ago I told (my wife) Shirley I’d already spent too much of my life looking out the window watching the world go by, and that I’d never do that again,” said Smith, whose soft, slow drawl hints at his Southern boyhood.

He’s speaking of his first 15 years, when his world was often the sterile confines of a children’s hospital and his only wheels were on the wheelchairs that carried him about.

His older brother, Walter, remembers when he and other family members had to carry Smith around on visits home, even up until he was almost 14.

Smith’s life story is a trilogy of the kindness of strangers giving hope and healing, a grown child making the most of his second chance, and his dedication to repaying his debt of gratitude by helping more children.

9 months old

Smith was born in Savannah, Ga., his feet garishly twisted so far inward that doctors gave him no chance of walking.

He was 9 months old when he was admitted to a Shriners children’s hospital in South Carolina. He spent most of his childhood there.

“It was hard on Momma when his first stay was about nine months,” Walter Smith said. “They didn’t want kids to have visitors at those hospitals back then. I think they were afraid the kids would want to go home.”

Through the years, Jerry Smith endured eight surgeries and countless hours of physical therapy.

Jerry Smith, 67, of Newton, rides down a road in September near Wichita. At birth, doctors predicted he would have a lifetime of disability because of being born with club

Yet all of his memories are good.

‘They really loved us’

“They took such unbelievable care of us kids, so much better than most could have gotten anywhere else. They really loved us,” he said, looking through the few photos he has from that time. “They kept telling me I was going to get better, and I never had any reason to doubt them.”

The man who jokingly refers to himself as “the only man in Kansas without an accent” drawled a procession of memories during a recent interview. He spoke of Christmas trees and presents, Easter baskets and games of jacks. By stretcher or wheelchair, he went to class taught by Miss Alice. His best friend was Jesse White, a burn victim who had more than 70 surgeries and 120 blood transfusions.

In the hospital and out, he did his best to live the life of a normal boy.

Walter Smith remembers helping Jerry as they played, carrying him around or finding a long, slender stick so he could scratch itches within his casts. He said his brother wasn’t above a bit of orneriness.

“He could be a knucklehead at times,” Walter Smith said. “I remember Momma would get mad at him, and he’d crawl under the house. She’d worry about him not having lunch, and she’d give in.”

Smith was released from the Shriners hospital shortly before his 15th birthday, having slowly improved from lumbering in heavy braces to walking with crutches to eventually walking unaided.

He hit the rest of his life running.

Active traveling wanted

He joined the Navy at 17 in 1956. An assignment as a fireman at an auxiliary naval air strip in Newton brought him to Kansas, where he met Shirley. They married in 1958.

When Smith’s enlistment ended, Shirley worked to put him through diesel mechanics’ school. He then supported her as she earned a teaching degree. Smith later added management classes, which helped him move up to district manager for Wichita’s Cummins Mid-America, a dealer in diesel engines.

That job brought trips around the world. Back in Newton, the Smiths had a garage of nice cars and access to a small plane. But Jerry wanted more than sedentary travel.

A book about walking across America piqued his interest. He knew such hikes were impossible for him. Smith’s size-3 feet more closely resemble hooves than the feet of a grown man. His legs are still as thin as those of a boy.

In 1984, he talked a friend into buying bicycles and riding across Kansas. The next year they biked across Missouri. In 1986, they spent two weeks cycling in Ireland.

Then Smith started getting serious.

People are the best

He has cycled in 38 states and made long treks across Canada and parts of Mexico. He and Shirley rode in tandem from the Oregon coast to Kansas.

His wife recalled she once threw a fit because he wanted her to ride to Hesston with him. “He got so excited with it, I had about a 0 percent chance of not getting into cycling.”

Smith has four trips of more than 2,000 miles.

He recalls tough biking climbs through snow-capped mountains and sweltering deserts. Mostly, though, he talks of the people he’s met – farmers who hauled him to shelter during storms and people who just stopped to talk or make sure he and other cyclists knew the best roads or trails. Many opened their homes.

“One of the neatest things has been experiencing so many little cultures that are out there. You usually don’t get that when you’re traveling by car,” Smith said. “And I’ll tell you something, I’m convinced the world is full of really great people. Given a chance, most folks treat you kindly and do what’s right.”

Forever indebted

Some who know Smith best think it could be because of his childhood.

“There’s no doubt he’s especially driven in life,” said Smith’s son, Mark, a Newton police officer. “To see him go, you’d never guess his childhood, but maybe one’s led to the other. I’ve always thought maybe he’s trying to make up for lost time.”

Jerry Smith freely admits he’s long felt a debt to the Shriners.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stopped and thought how none of this – Shirley, my family, my job, my bicycling, my work at the church – would have happened if it wasn’t for them.

“They did it for free. My parents couldn’t have afforded all of that. I can get pretty emotional just thinking about it. They blessed me so much I always felt I’d have to give something back.”

Smith has been an active Shriner for about 10 years, donating time and money to the group’s causes. He’s a walking advertisement for the organization, sharing his story and details of how the Shriners hospitals work.

He’s quick to give out cards with his contact information and urges people to call him if they find a child in need of orthopedic or burn treatment.

Through the years, he has helped four local children get admitted to Shriners hospitals.