One father’s 4,300kms cycling journey across Australia to help families through tragedy: One bag, one kilometre at a time.
Supported by
• Gold Coast University Hospital
• Tweed Valley Hospital
• Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital
• Princess Alexandra Hospital
• St Vincent’s Hospital Brisbane
• QLD Children’s Hospital
About Beautiful Crazy
On April 14th 2024, our family received news that would alter our lives forever.
Our deeply loved son and brother, Jaaden, was in a severe accident that had caused an unsurvivable brain injury. Our family spent four days in ICU at Gold Coast hospital and it became our home.
Amidst the tragedy, a friend brought us a hamper of essentials. It was a touch of beautiful in a time of crazy, and it made our stay in the ICU just a little more bearable.
From our loss, we founded Beautiful Crazy, a charity supporting ICU families with a bag of essentials. Each care bag costs us $60 and allows us to help ease the burden for other families in life’s hardest moments.
So far over 350 Beautiful Crazy bags have been donated to help families in the ICU. If you feel led to support our mission, please donate a bag here
About The Longest Ride
A Journey of Hope: One Family, One Bag, One Kilometre at a Time.
The Longest Ride is a 4,300-kilometre off-road solo cycling journey from Perth to Byron Bay. Over 31 days, this journey will traverse Australia’s most remote and rugged terrain, climbing more than 20,000 meters in elevation and battling harsh conditions like dirt, sand dunes, and unrelenting headwinds.
This ride is more than just a cycling challenge; it is a powerful metaphor for the grief journey.
Our starting goal is to raise enough funds for 4,300 care bags – one for every kilometre ridden, with the hope of surpassing this and supporting even more families across Australia.
Testimonials
-
A Thoughtful Touch in a Difficult Time
We are currently in GCUH ICU with our son and brother who will succumb to his head injuries sometime over the next day or 2. It is already day 6, but we are waiting for him to pass naturally to allow the best circumstances for organ donation, as per the hospital's experts.
We received 2 of your bags the other day, and we have just started to open them and explore. They are a thoughtful touch and we have started to use and consume some of the contents. So thank you for those, and sorry for your loss.
~ Chris - Gold Coast -
Great Comfort – Made a Huge Difference
“We have just returned to Melbourne after a mini break with family in Coolangatta. Toward the end of this break, my husband was taken to Tweed Valley Hospital with breathing difficulties. He was rushed to ICU and intubated. He remained in and out of ICU for two weeks.
I was accompanied by our two adult children during which time the nurses in ICU gave each of us your “Beautiful Crazy” bags. We were not alone. The bags gave us great comfort during this time. We read your story and grieved with you.
Fortunately we got our husband/dad on a flight home three weeks later ready for the rehabilitation and ongoing support needed to get him back closer to himself. Thanks again for your surprise support. It made a huge difference.”
~ Jacqui, Georgina & Matthew - Melbourne
Follow Us On Instagram
