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Dean Bingham pays sweet tribute to the Multiple Sclerosis Society

As he has done for decades, he'll cycle the length of the East Coast to raise money to support their work

PORTLAND, Maine — Most days, Dean Bingham indulges a passion for chocolate as the proprietor of Dean’s Sweets in Portland, but today he embarked on another passion he finds just as sweet. His plan is to bike what is known as the East Coast Greenway,  from Key West to Calais – about 3000 miles. This is his 30th year riding to support The National MS Society, and his goal is to raise $30,000 as he pedals his way up the East Coast. His connection to this cause is very personal and goes back decades.

"My father at the time was living at Deer Isle Nursing Home and his roommate was a fellow by the name of Charlie who had MS. And had had it for probably 30 or 40 years at that point. He was a quadriplegic, but he had the ability to sort of goose my father to the degree that I felt like, well, he would get him out of bed in the morning, do some other activity you know basically inspiring him to do stuff. And I felt like Charlie kept my Dad alive probably longer than he would have lasted just on his own," Dean said. 

He started doing these rides to honor Charlie, and over the decades his admiration for the work of the National MS Society has simply grown. Dean and his wife have been training on their bikes for a few months, and she’ll accompany him on the first 500 miles. He will finish the ride solo, hoping to clock about 70 miles per day. 

We caught up with Dean last week as he arrived in New York City. Here is that update: 

Dean is about halfway to his fundraising goal. If you would like to support Dean's ride and donate to the National MS Society, click here

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