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Kayaking For a Cause

Written by Register Staff
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Forest Rose, 66, Newark, Ohio, unties his kayak from the dock near Captain Mike’s River Watch restaurant, Lawrenceburg, where he received a meal and place to sleep during his trip from Newark to New Orleans. He is raising money for Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, in honor of a girl at his church fighting brain cancer. First a young girl at his church died of a brain disease. Then another young member, Gabby Wysocki, was diagnosed with a brain tumor at 4 years old. “That kind of just broke my heart and I wanted to do something for all children,” said Forest Rose, 66, Newark, Ohio. So for six months he planned a kayaking trip down to the Ohio River to bring awareness and raise money to Gabby’s cause. His trip began down the Licking River in Newark, then down the Muskingum River where it flows into the Ohio River. He plans on ending his trip in New Orleans. “I wanted to do something different. ... I want to try to raise national awareness,” said Rose. He brought that awareness to Lawrenceburg Wednesday, June 3, during an overnight stop at Captain Mike’s Riverwatch Restaurant along the river. He was about 250 miles into his 1,800 mile trip, he said. Before he left on the trip he had a dream he needed to find “angels” to donate $100 each for his cause, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio. He found at least two of those angels in Lawrenceburg, said Rose. The weather has not been too bad for most of his 19-day trip so far, but there were a couple of storms, he said. A couple days before his Lawrenceburg stay there was a storm “that tore the poncho right off of me,” said Rose. He pulled off to the river bank to find shelter. Soon after a man came down yelling he was on private property, he said. “Someone yelled, ‘Hold it right there. I called the sheriff,’” said Rose. But once he told the man what he was doing, he was very nice about the situation and called off the sheriff, he said. People have been generous along the way providing places for him to sleep, eat and even shower, he said. During his first bout with bad weather he was able to stay in a camper owned by his brother-in-law’s sister. The next night he landed on shore when a man with a bonfire stopped down to chat. He offered his trailer for the night while he headed home across the river. The spot was a place he used to camp, said Rose. The owners of Riverwatch fed him, gave him a place to keep his kayak and sleep for the night, he said. Though Rose had not kayaked a lot before his trip, he is no stranger to the water, spending four years in the Coast Guard. His church has tried to help by praying for good weather, but he told them to stop because rain helps the current move faster, he said. The trip could seem a little lonely, but Rose picked up a “passenger” early in the trip. A little orange figurine he found floating in the river now is along for the ride. The little guy almost received his own boat when Rose spotted a little tugboat floating down the river just out of his reach, he said. He packed for two weeks prior to the trip, laying out, removing and adding items in his basement. Some items he brought too many of, while others not enough, said Rose. People have helped with that along the way too, including the Dearborn County Convention, Visitor and Tourism Bureau, which provided him with some items. His next planned stop after Lawrenceburg was Rising Sun. By Saturday afternoon he had reached Madison on his way to the Mississippi River and New Orleans. According a Web Site started to track his trip and fundraising progress, “one in every 330 children in the United States develops cancer before the age of 19. Progress in the development of effective new treatments and cures for childhood cancer has been spectacular during the past three decades, but progress is beginning to plateau.” For now 6-year-old Gabby treatments have stabilized her tumor. She finished chemotherapy in July 2008, but developed an allergic reaction to the drugs. Her family was very happy to find out he was making the kayak trip. They have had a tough time, especially with her dad serving time in the military in Afghanistan, said Rose. If you are interested in making a donation and becoming an “angel,” or learning more about the trip, go to www.gabbysgift.com. To learn more about Gabby and her progress go to www.caringbridge.org/visit/gabriellewysocki.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 25 June 2009 )