By Donna Green-Townsend – WUFT-FM

Nearly five years ago Mark Stephan from suffered a horrific spinal cord injury in a bicycle accident in Chicago.  Though he was told he would be a quadriplegic and never walk again, the determined athlete went into six months of intensive therapy with personal trainers.  The grueling work culminated in his most recent accomplishment —climbing 103 floors to the top of the tallest building in North America.  Now Stephan is cycling across the country to bring awareness to the issue of spinal cord injuries and to raise money for a new specialized hospital to treat patients with such injuries.  He’ll arrive in Alachua tonight and leave for Palatka and St. Augustine tomorrow.  Stephan talked with Florida’s 89.1, WUFT-FM’s Donna Green-Townsend about his message:

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Stephan is inviting other cyclists to join him on his ride.  He should be leaving from the Quality Inn in Alachua at around 8:30 a.m.  For more information his project coordinator Lincoln Baker at 406-546-9317.  To learn more about Mark Stephan go online to http://www.stephanchallenge.com