EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — As families spent Father’s Day weekend enjoying the sunshine around Reeds Lake, one East Grand Rapids man spent the longest day of the year pedaling with a purpose.
For more than 15 hours, from sunrise to sunset, Adam Baiers rode continuous five-mile loops around the lake to honor his father and raise money and awareness for Alzheimer’s disease.
“My dad was really my everything,” Baiers said. “He was my whole life. He was my hero and really my best friend and really a mentor to me growing up.”
Baiers’ father, Robert, was diagnosed with early-onset dementia at 65. He lived with Alzheimer’s disease for 15 years before passing away in 2018. He said his father was a successful businessman that came from humble beginnings. He said he taught his three sons to have a strong work ethic. Baiers said the disease changed his father long before his death…