Men embark on 'epic' cross country bike ride for grandson, late wife

With two special people in mind, Thomas "Tommy" Taylor and John "J.D." Norton have embarked on a bike trip that will take them from Santa Monica to Boston, with a special stop in Barstow.

During the ride, which began on Friday, Taylor will honor his late wife, Thokozile "Thoko" Kesiilwe-Taylor, a nurse who served at Barstow Community Hospital. Thoko, 60, died two years ago after being diagnosed with Sarcoidosis, an immune system disease characterized by the growth of tiny collections of inflammatory cells in parts of the body.

Taylor will raise money for the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, the nation's largest nonprofit dedicated to finding a cure for the disease.

Norton, 69, will ride to raise awareness about organ donation and on behalf of his 8-year-old grandson, Broderick, who needs a new kidney.

Reunion tour

The longtime friends who grew up in upstate New York have kept in touch through social media.

“Back in 1972, J.D. and I were a couple of hippies who hitchhiked from New York to San Diego,” said Taylor, 70, who lives in Barstow. “We haven't seen each other in a while so I guess you can call this a reunion tour.”

The duo plan to arrive at Barstow Community Hospital at 10 a.m. on Tuesday for a community reception and for the men to share about their trip and to celebrate Thoko’s time at BCH, hospital spokesman John Rader told the Daily Press.

“After leaving Santa Monica Pier, we’re going to travel most of Route 66 eastward toward the Midwest and then onto Boston,” Taylor said. "We're hoping to spread our messages online and in person as we ride to the East Coast."

Hospital CEO Adam Loris said when Taylor approached the hospital about the possibility of hosting the reception, BCH jumped at the opportunity.

“Although I did not know his wife, Thoko, since I just recently started at Barstow Community Hospital, I understand from our staff that she was one of our beloved nurses,” Loris said. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Thoko while at the same time encouraging Tommy and his riding partner J.D. Norton on their cross-country ride with a purpose.”

Remembering Thoko

“Tuesday would have been our 14th wedding anniversary,” Taylor said. “Thoko was a quiet, compassionate person who loved life and had a heart for serving others.”

Growing up in “black oppressed” South Africa and under the cloud of apartheid, Thoko was politically active and took part in the first democratic vote in 1994, Taylor said. Thoko became a U.S. citizen and worked hard to get her nursing license before working in Barstow. She would later purchase a house, Taylor said.

“I owned my own plumbing business and we had an account with Barstow Community,” Taylor said. “I met Thoko during a job. We began talking and we eventually got married."

After being diagnosed with the disease, Thoko’s lungs were affected. The couple would make numerous trips for treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

While the couple worked toward getting Thoko a lung transplant, her health continued to decline.

“Thoko died in August of 2021 and we took her back to South Africa to bury her,” Taylor said. “She has a wonderful family and had a strong Christian faith. She deeply loved South Africa and her home in the U.S."

Two weeks before his wife's death, Taylor’s 23-year-old son, Jason, who had endured a heart transplant as a child, died suddenly. Taylor was also grieving the loss of his sister’s son, Joshua, 41, who had been killed in a motorcycle collision.

As the world crashed down on Taylor, his nephew told him that he needed to get out and “do something epic” as part of his healing.

“It was April 7, 2022, when I decided to text J.D., who I hadn’t seen in 40 years,” Taylor said. “I asked him if he wanted to ride across America.”

Norton happily agreed to ride, not only to accompany his friend but to ride on behalf of Broderick and everyone who needs an organ.

“April is National Donate Life Month, to encourage organ donor registration,” Norton said. “It’s a perfect time to ride."

Norton is riding for his grandson.

“Broderick had a traumatic birth, he was born premature, which affected his liver and kidneys,” said Norton, an Army veteran who lives in Colorado Springs. “His liver bounced back, but one kidney failed and the other one left partially functioning.”

Broderick fought off COVID-19, but the virus further damaged his remaining kidney, Norton said.

“If we don’t get a kidney, the goal is for him to get into his teen years before dialysis,” Taylor said. “My daughter is helping Broderick with medication and diet, but he’s at stage 4 chronic kidney disease.”

Doing something epic

To ride 3,000 miles, Taylor sold his business, bought touring bicycle, and began long-distance training.

“Part of my training included being dropped off in Las Vegas and riding roughly 150 miles back to Barstow,” Taylor said. “The mindset in this trip is riding 3,000 miles a portion at a time.”

Before retiring, Norton was a dedicated bike commuter, working in the semiconductor manufacturing industry.

“I also love mountain biking, so I’m always ready for a challenge,” Norton said. “I bought a steel-framed touring bike and started riding 50 miles about three or four times a week.”

Taylor said he’ll think of Thoko every inch of the way from California to Massachusetts.

“Thoko loved living and she was the love of my life,” Taylor said. “I will always remember our life together.”

In an attempt to raise funds, Taylor has created the “Sarcoid Bike Tour” GoFundMe account and the online site sarcoidbiketour.com.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Men embark on 'epic' cross country bike ride for grandson, late wife