FISHERS, Ind. — Dozens of bikers and walkers will come together this month for a fun morning to celebrate the life of a remarkable young woman.
Megan's Ride and Walk is a way to remember Megan Stancliffe, who died five years ago at the age of 23.
Bike riding is a great escape. It's peaceful, pedaling through the open countryside.
For Tom Stancliffe, it is therapy.
"It doesn't get any easier, but you have to take it day by day. She is an awesome little girl that is up in heaven now. She is definitely my angel up there," he said.
Megan was born with cerebral palsy. Her father made sure his little girl got to experience all of life's adventures.
"She just brought so much life to me, even though she wasn't able to talk or walk or feed herself, she just...you always wanted to be around her," Stancliffe said.
They did it all, but biking was their favorite pastime, so Tom started Megan's Ride. Megan's younger brother Bryan rides in honor of his sister.
"Just to be able to express how she was and celebrate her life to the people who may not have known her and the people that did know her - it's everything," he said.
Last year, 130 riders showed up for the event. All of the money raise goes to a nonprofit called Outside The Box, a daycare for people with disabilities where Megan loved to go.
"Most of those places, all they do is plop you down in front of a TV and, 'Hey, this is your excitement for the day,'" Tom said. "But Outside The Box, these guys went over and above and spent a lot of time with your child."
So again this year, they'll ride in memory of Megan, because she was an inspiration.
"She was a real fighter. That's the perfect word to describe her," Tom said. "She went through so many countless surgeries. She had a surgery that involved going into her brain. I remember her coming out of that surgery with the biggest smile I have ever seen."
Megan's Ride is scheduled for Saturday, July 30 in Fishers. There will be a family bike ride, along with a 20-mile and 50-mile route and a 5k walking course.