Man bikes for blood donations

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - A man biking 30,000 miles from San Francisco to New Hampshire hopes to raise awareness for blood donations.

Larry Frederick said the 52-day, 30,847-mile journey is a way to thank the blood donors who saved his life.

In 1982, Frederick, working as a police officer in California, was hit by an impaired driver during a traffic stop.

"Within six minutes, I was at the ER, I had already bled out and stopped breathing," he said.

It took 110 blood donors to save his life.

Frederick on Thursday stopped by the Rhode Island Blood Center to thank donors there.

"There's a lot of people out there who don't want to donate because they don't realize how many people it's helping," said Guy Perkins, one of the blood donors Frederick thanked on Thursday.

Providence was the first stop on the second phase of Frederick's cross-country cycling odyssey. During the trip, he'll stop by 50 different blood centers across the country.

"If you give today," Frederick said, "it will be there for you and your family tomorrow."

Frederick said he'll wait a few months until the soreness goes away to make a decision on when his next bike trip will be.

While donors can give blood anytime, The Rhode Show and Lite Rock 105 are sponsoring a blood drive at the WPRI and FOX Providence studios at 25 Catamore Blvd. in East Providence on Monday, Aug. 9, from 2 to 7 p.m.

• Blood drive details