Bobby Jenkins Cycles from Alaska to Texas to Raise Awareness for Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood

Eleven years ago, Bobby Jenkins' 15-month-old grandson Moss went down for a nap and never woke up. He was face down and unresponsive, and nothing made sense. The otherwise healthy toddler was gone.

Jenkins, the owner of ABC Home & Commercial Services in Austin and the guy in the pest control commercials, now serves as the board chair of the Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood Foundation and is trying to raise awareness, as well as funding research being done at New York University.

"We've heard this story over and over again," Jenkins said. "A toddler goes down for a nap. ... It's a tragedy."

On June 18, he flew to Anchorage, Alaska, and hopped on a bicycle the next day. He'll ride from Alaska to College Station, arriving on Sept. 6 in Kyle Field for Texas A&M's home game with Utah State.

Jenkins, 66, is the oldest of his riding buddies, who are all in their 60s. Before they started this ride, they all got their bikes tuned up, and they were checked out medically. Jenkins spent a day at Heart Hospital of Austin for its executive wellness program.

Inside the wellness program

The program, which has been around since 2001, is a way for busy people to get a comprehensive screening and personalized recommendations done in one day. These are screenings that go beyond what is scheduled for a typical annual well visit with your primary care doctor.

This program is for people like Jenkins who don't suspect they have a problem, but want to make sure. It's not for someone who already has symptoms; they should seek care right away with their primary care doctor or the appropriate specialist.

The idea is not to wait until something happens, but to catch health problems before symptoms appear.

"We have found things," said Heart Hospital of Austin CEO Brett Matens, including cancer, heart problems and more.

Often companies will pay for their employees to have this testing done, or people can pay $3,500 out of pocket. Insurance does not cover it.

"We have between 35 and 60 people who come back every year or every other year," Matens said.

Here's how the day goes:

• Medical history consultation with guidance on risk levels for disease and ways to lessen that risk.
• Physical examination with vision and hearing tests and body composition analysis.
• Blood tests including blood count, metabolic panel, liver profile, lipid panel and complete blood count. For men, a prostate specific antigen test is done and for women a pap smear.
• Resting electrocardiogram (EKG) and an exercise stress test.
• Peripheral arterial disease carotid ultrasound to measure blood flow in the carotid arteries.
• Ankle-brachial index test to look at blood pressure in arms and legs.
• CT scan of the lungs, heart, liver, kidney and more.
• Pulmonary function test.
• Nutrition consultation.
• A massage and lunch while waiting for test results.
• Comprehensive review of test results with an action plan including referrals for any additional care needed.

The results are in

Jenkins received a clean bill of health, which was a relief because heart disease and kidney disease runs in his family.

"I swear, I feel just as good as I did when I was 35," Jenkins said.

Jenkins loves to cycle as a way to get exercise but also as a way to see the countryside. He regularly rides after work from the ABC headquarters off U.S. 290 in Northeast Austin to Elgin or Taylor, or on the trail from Govalle Park to Manor.

This is his fourth cross-country ride, but it is also his longest. In 1980, he and two college buddies rode from San Antonio to the Canadian border. Then when he turned 50, he rode from Austin to Calgary to support Caritas of Austin when he was the chair of that board. And eight years ago, he rode from Seattle to New York with his two brothers. On that ride, his mom and one of his daughters drove the chase vehicle. That ride included 42 stops to raise awareness about Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood.

This time, a few things are different. Instead of staying in motels along the way, they have an RV where they will sleep. He and brother Raleigh Jenkins, 64, will ride a bike the whole way. ABC retirees Mark Ambrose, 65, and Brian Kelly, 66, will take turns driving the RV and riding a bicycle. Raleigh Jenkins is riding to raise money for Mission Lazarus, an organization that helps children in Haiti.

Bobby Jenkins has thought out this trip , from the layers of clothing for the cool mornings in Alaska and Canada to the sunscreen and excess hydration for the scorching deserts in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and West Texas. They are caring an extra bicycle and plenty of supplies to repair their bikes. Jenkins is looking forward to seeing parts of Alaska, Canada and the U.S. he's never seen before, but he's heard some of the roads will be extra bumpy and slow going.

"It's a grind for me, he said. "This is not a race. It's a pace ourselves (journey)."

They'll ride 70 to 75 miles a day, which means they'll be making sure to eat in bulk to keep their energy up.

The trip will be physically hard, as well as emotionally. He'll be away from the family. His seven living grandchildren are a mile from he and his wife Jan. He'll check in with the family and with ABC through a satellite connection in the van.

"We'll be looking forward to Sept. 7 and sleeping in our own bed," he said.

Each day will feel like Groundhog Day: get up, eat, ride, eat, ride, eat, sleep.

"I'm thinking about Moss so much of the time," he said. "The trip is going to be challenging. 'Why' for me is for Moss, for the other children and other families that have lost children. Can we prevent this someday, some way? ... That's the why."