Jun 22, 2024 | By: Sydney Dick
Northwoods Experience: MN Man Bikes Around US to Raise Awareness for 2 Causes
Scott Freitag has been battling stage 4 prostate cancer for several years now, and he has decided to spend his time spreading awareness and raising funds for cancer research by biking around the perimeter of the United States.
Scott and his wife Katy left Minnesota last June and have now finally crossed the finish line in Park Rapids surrounded by supportive people. Scott went on the 11,000-mile journey to bring awareness not only to prostate cancer, but schizophrenia as well.
“When I was going through chemotherapy for prostate cancer, I got the phone call that no parent wants to get,” said Scott, who co-founded the “Miles for Money” organization. “I lost my son Benny to suicide. We found out after his death that he had schizophrenia and went off his meds. And I decided then that I wanted to do something with my life to make a difference.”
After thousands of miles and hundreds of thousands of dollars raised, Scott ended his journey right at Itasca State Park last weekend.
“I’m feeling a sense of accomplishment and also just happy that that we’re home,” Scott said when asked about crossing the finish line. “You know, it’s a lot of emotions.”
Between the two nonprofit organizations that Scott was cycling for, the Freitags raised nearly $400,000 and made it simple to donate.
“Our website, it’s called milesformoney.org,” Scott explained. “Within that website, there’s two 501(c)(3)s that we’re raising money for. One is ‘Zero Prostate Cancer,’ and the other one is ‘Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance.'”
But it wasn’t even the physical biking that was the hardest part – it was the mental battle.
“I mean, there were a few really tough moments,” says Scott’s wife and “Miles for Money” co-founder Katy Freitag. “The weather, obviously, was hard. Day after day when you don’t even have any dry clothes left, to get back on the bike, and he had cold rain and wind, too, where he was going into a headwind of like 35 miles per hour. That was tough. He also had a headfirst crash into a guardrail where he had to have seven stitches, he had a minor concussion. So those kind of things, physically, mentally, I saw him keep going no matter what. He kept going because he wanted to honor his life and Benny’s life.”
Despite all of these challenges, Scott was determined to finish the trip, not only to raise funds, but also to help as many people as he could by spreading awareness.
“Get your PSA [test] checked in your forties,” Scott emphasized, “because typically when young guys get prostate cancer, it’s the aggressive kind, and catching it early is vital and it’s actually treatable. And so it’s vital that you get in, get your PSA checked. If it’s elevated, consult with your doctor and decide what you want to do, but catching it early is key.”
Although Scott has finished his trip, the charity remains open and Miles for Money is still accepting donations here.