When WREG-TV Channel 3 weatherman Jim Jaggers was first approached about making a 333-mile bike ride for the kids of Le Bonheur, he was all for it.

“When I toured Le Bonheur, everyone on staff was proud to be working there, which is rare to find in today’s world,” Jim said. “From the person mopping the fl oor to the surgeons, they all had an identical attitude toward the children and their care. It was like a family and it struck me as really outstanding.”

There was no question as to whether Jim would pedal for the patients in an effort to support Le Bonheur’s capital campaign. He believed it was a great way to help out the hospital, and a fun promotion for the station. Little did he know that his heart would be won over by the very children for whom he was riding.

A casual biker who maybe pedaled two to three miles after work, Jim knew it would take a lot of effort to complete the route in 8 days. To finish, he would have to ride 40 miles or more each day, clocking 12 or more miles per hour. He first had to get up to speed with some training.

“There was a question in everyone’s mind whether I could even ride 333 miles,” Jim said about his first ride for Le Bonheur two years ago. “Along with everyone else, I didn’t even know if I could make it.”

After months of training, Jim put his wheels to the pavement in October 2006, when the first Go Jim, Go! promotion hit the road. Departing from Downtown’s Peabody Place, Jim biked from town to town throughout West Tennessee, northwest Mississippi and eastern Arkansas, raising $17,000 for Le Bonheur along the course.

By the time the 2007 Go Jim, Go! ride rolled around on Oct. 19 last fall, Jim was well ahead of where he’d begun 12 months earlier. He had maintained his bike training since the first ride, continuing to log at least 10 miles a day, so it was easier for him to pick up and do it again.

The 2007 ride was colder and windier than the previous year. To top it off, it rained every day. Rain makes pavement slick, and Jim took four tumbles during the week. The third time he wiped out so hard that he needed a new bike. Thanks to Bikes Plus, he continued on with new wheels.

A few weeks following the ride, Jim was sporting a cast for a broken wrist which he received when he crashed but didn’t realize it until later.

“The objective of each day was not to fall,” Jim recalled. “It was actually quite miserable at some points along the way.”  Regardless of the wet weather conditions, Jim stayed positive and upbeat the entire ride, according to the crew and volunteers.

“I saw Jim at the end of each day and never heard him once complain, or saw him even grimace, even after he fell,” said Julie Ashby, Le Bonheur marketing manager, who coordinated the event with the hospital and Channel 3. “Jim’s passion was contagious and infected all of us.”

Riding for Ginny
Jim first met Ginny Barganier, a 10-year-old spina bifida patient at Le Bonheur, prior to his 2007 send-off which was again broadcast from Peabody Place on WREG’s morning program Live at 9. She gave him her picture to carry and he taped it to his handlebars before embarking on the trip.

“Ginny just captured my heart,” Jim said. “She is such a beautiful ray of sunshine that I couldn’t help but peddle that much harder when things got tough. Ginny was a blessing to think about when I was afraid of falling. I focused on her when I was in pain. She really brought the point home as to why I was riding. She was a big inspiration to me and I couldn’t have done it without her.”

Ginny, who was born with a hole in her back and her spinal nerves visible, had her first surgery at Le Bonheur Children’s when she was only six hours old. Since her birth, she has been hospitalized 38 times for two or more days and has been admitted to Le Bonheur’s Emergency Department 89 times. She underwent her fourteenth surgery on Dec. 5.

Spina bifida is a permanently disabling birth defect that involves the incomplete development of the spinal cord or its coverings. The causes are unknown, and Ginny has one of the more severe forms of the defect.

Paralyzed from the waist down, Ginny has a tracheotomy, a feeding tube and uses a respirator at night. Another machine measures her oxygen levels while she sleeps. She must take a dozen medications and receives twice-a-day breathing treatments. Two shunts help alleviate excess fluids that build up in her brain. A night-time nurse comes to her home to help Michelle, Ginny’s mom, who is her primary caregiver.

Yet, even with all these challenges, Ginny is an extraordinary young girl. She radiates with cheerful enthusiasm and has an amazing resilience that is infectious to all who meet her.

Her eyes sparkle with optimism behind her glasses. “She’s just happy all the time,” says Michelle. “We think Ginny’s special, but when someone like Jim recognizes how special she is, it’s wonderful,” Michelle added. “She thinks Jim is great and knows that he really cares.”

Picking up Momentum
Jim’s 2007 ride generated donations of $60,000 from across the Mid-South. Prior to the ride Jim visited many area schools with his bike, and he asked the Memphis Hightailers, a local bike club, to get involved. By offering bikers the chance to ride with Jim during portions of the trip, the Hightailers raised more than $7,000 for Le Bonheur. They also kept Jim company by riding along with him for long stretches.

“Riding with Jim was just too good to pass up,” said Bo McAninch, a member of the Hernando Bike Club, who rode with Jim through De Soto County. “I have healthy children and I believe in Le Bonheur. It’s a great thing to have at our back door.”

With more folks jumping on board the wagon each year, Jim believes the 2008 ride will be even more successful.

“Schools are the real backbone,” Jim explained. “I try to visit as many schools along the route as possible to collect their contributions. Just think, if every school collected $1,000, and I stopped at 100 schools, wouldn’t that be nice?”

Bartlett Elementary, where Jim’s son, Will, attends, made a $3,100 donation to Le Bonheur on behalf of his 2007 ride. Christ Methodist, where his daughter, Jennifer, 11, attends, participated by raising funds both years.

“I’m lucky to be the spokesperson for the event,” Jim said. “It really is a team effort and there are a lot of people behind it. From the crew to the volunteers who answer the phone, it’s an honor for me, and I’m proud to get on a bike for Le Bonheur.”

Go Jim Go Playroom
On behalf of his continuing efforts to raise funds for Le Bonheur, Jim was honored by the Le Bonheur Foundation and marketing department at a reception at the hospital on Dec. 13 attended by patients and their families. Le Bonheur President and CEO Meri Armour announced that a play area in the new hospital would be named the Go Jim Go! Playroom.

“Jim’s ride was such a special effort, and the resulting gift from the station for Le Bonheur’s kids was significant,” said Armour. “Jim’s unselfish and unwavering eff ort to support the children of Le Bonheur made a tremendous impact on the community and shows what one man can do. His eff orts will now live on, and all the kids will know what he and WREG did for Le Bonheur.”

When the surprise announcement was made, Jim said it was completely unexpected. “The management, staff and sales department of News Channel 3 are not only on your side, but on Le Bonheur’s side,” Jim said. “I just have one question: How much are we going to raise this year?”