Tour de Har raising funds, awareness in honor of local man

This weekend, plenty of people will be gearing up their bikes for a cause. The Tour de Har Ride for Pulmonary Fibrosis is set for Saturday, Aug. 1. The bicycle ride, which will leave Lord Baltimore Elementary School in Ocean View at 9 a.m. sharp, honors the late Harry Walls, who succumbed to pulmonary fibrosis in November 2007.

The ride, 10.5 miles in length, will end at Harpoon Hannah’s Restaurant in Fenwick Island, along the way raising money and awareness for John Hopkins’ pulmonary fibrosis fund.

Pulmonary fibrosis involves scarring of the lungs as the air sacs are gradually replaced by fibrotic tissue. As scars form, the tissue thickens and the transfer of oxygen into the bloodstream becomes more and more difficult, resulting in shortness of breath, a chronic, dry cough, fatigue and weakness, discomfort in the chest, loss of appetite and rapid weight loss.

More than 5 five million people are affected by the disease worldwide, with more than a half-million affected in the United States. In addition to cigarette smoking, pulmonary fibrosis can be caused by inhaled environmental and occupational pollutants; diseases such as scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and sarcoidosis; peticular medications; and therapeutic radiation.

Walls, only 40 when he died, was a husband and the father of four young children. A physical therapist assistant at Beebe Medical Center, Walls was very conscious of his health. He was an athlete, a music lover and a family man. But, in March 2007, he was diagnosed with dermatomyositis – a rare, autoimmune disease that breaks down the skin and muscle. With no known cause, the disease weakened Walls and made his body susceptible to other complications, including pulmunary fibrosis.

While waiting at the top of the list for a lung transplant, Walls lost his battle with the illness.

His children and his wife, Doreen, decided to continue the tradition of the Tour de Har, a bike ride Walls started for friends and family nearly two decades ago that capped off the summer season.

“After we moved [to Ocean View] from Delaware County, Pa.,” recalled Doreen Walls, “we wanted to make sure our family and friends would continue to visit us. Every summer, we’d have a big summer party and we’d always have a bike ride from the restaurant to our home for the barbecue.”

This weekend marks the 19th year for the Tour de Har, and the second annual ride held as a fundraiser.

“We’ve had the help of so many people,” said Doreen Walls. “The community support has been unbelievable toward myself and the event.”

Last year’s Tour de Har, the inaugural bike ride for charity, raised $4,000.

“We had a great turnout,” said Doreen Walls, “and so many people keep coming back. The support from the community has been phenomenal and, hopefully, we’ll surpass that this year.”

The Cottage Cafe sponsored a guest bartender evening earlier this year, too, which pulled in $1,500.

During his treatment, Walls frequented Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, the sole recipients of the fundraiser.

“The pulmonologist there was incredible,” said Doreen Walls. “She would move mountains for us, and I knew we were in the right place. If anyone was going to do anything for Harry, it would be them.”

The Tour de Har bicycle ride, not a race and will travel with a police escort. The entrance/registration fee is $25. Registration will continue online until the morning before the race or at Lord Baltimore Elementary at 8 a.m. this Saturday. T-shirts are available for participants, and an auction, featuring local gift packages and items will also be held. Auction items can be viewed and bid upon at Scraps Bar and Grill in Dewey Beach on Friday, July 31, and again at Lord Baltimore Elementary on Aug. 1. the auction items will be moved to Harpoon Hannah’s after the start of the ride.

“The Tour de Har is a way for everyone to remember Harry,” said Doreen Walls, “and it lets me open up and talk about him. He was a great husband and father, and this is exactly what he would have wanted.”

For more information about the charity ride, visit www.tourdehar.com, or check out www.active.com to pre-register.