Minnesota man who survived a 1982 car wreck has given away more than 22,000 bike helmets
“My favorite place to write notes is on my hand.” If you’ve ever seen the movie “Memento,” Mike Heikes is something of a real-life Leonard Shelby. His home in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, is peppered with Post-Its. They remind him what to eat and when important appointments will happen. But what’s with the boxes of bike helmets in his garage?
You see, when Mike was 18 and a passenger in his friend’s Ford Mustang, he suffered a traumatic brain injury.
The driver lost control after a night of drinking. The car rolled. Mike was thrown through a window – a close one, by the way – and he skidded about 20 feet before landing on the highway.
That was 1982
Mike was a week away from heading off to college. He had a scholarship.
When Mike arrived at the hospital, the situation looked grim. His injuries were so severe, he told KARE 11, that a medic gave his mom a bag full of his hair. The team had shaved his head, and the funeral home would need it to make him look “presentable.”
Thankfully, Mike survived, but suffered a life-altering traumatic brain injury.
As he recovered, he couldn’t drive a car, so Mike started riding a bike.
He eventually noticed how many kids were riding around without bike helmets
By 1999, Mike had grown so uncomfortable with the lack of bike helmets in the community that he decided to do something about it. “If you live through a brain injury, you don’t want to see anyone else have a brain injury.”
So, he started giving them away.
At one point, he’d ordered so many that semi-trucks would make the deliveries to his home. To date, he estimates he’s given away more than 22,000.
“They cost $10 a piece,” he said. How does he pay for the bike helmets? For one, he sets up donation jars at local establishments around town. He also works with local organizations. But, he also admitted, “That’s what home equity loans are for.”
After handing out 22,000-plus bike helmets at local events, Mike says it might be time for him to retire from the mission. However, the boxes of helmets in his garage suggest otherwise.
