Michael Todd Kerr died in 2008 when he was just 26 years old, doing what he loved...riding a motorcycle.
On Sunday, July 31,2011 friends, family, strangers and the people whose lives he saved will honor him by raising awareness about the importance of organ donation.
They will gather for the Big Mike's Annual Memorial Run. The motorcycle run is free. It starts and ends in Canton at Greensburg Park.
The first stop is at LifeBanc in Cleveland. On the wall there is a tribute to Mike because of the lives he saved through the donation of his organs.
At least one of the organ recipients will be on hand to take part in the tradition.
As fate would have it, one of the kidney recipients was a family friend. Mike's Dad, Joe Kerr, says that his wife's best friend was just about to give a kidney to her husband, even though it wasn't the ideal match.
That was just days before Mike's fatal accident. Turns out Mike was a perfect match. Mike's parents have known the couple since they were in their early 20's.
"Big Mike" earned his nickname because of his size and stature, but his best friend Donnie Boyer describes him as a "teddy bear" with a huge heart.