“With my wife, our existence changed in 2014 with the death of our son Maxime. We then decided to donate his organs, although he did not comment on this subject during his lifetime. For me it is very important to talk about organ donation. More than 22,000 people are waiting and every year, while less than 6,000 transplants are performed, more than a thousand applicants die. Yet a donor can save three or four lives”. The green ribbon, the emblem of organ donation, Gilbert Guillerm has been wearing it since April 2, the date of the start of his “Tour de France” on a recumbent tricycle. An initiative that aims to make the people we meet think about the donation of human organs and tissues.
This 63-year-old Breton left Pénestin where he lives, followed the coast to Dunkirk, followed the borders to the Jura, crossed the Rhône valley before arriving in Toulon. After Perpignan and the Pyrenees, he arrived last Wednesday in Saint-Girons. He will then head to Bayonne, before returning home on Thursday June 29, after 6,266 kilometers.
Since 2010, for comfort reasons, he has been pedaling a recumbent bicycle, weighing twenty kilograms, while a touring bicycle weighs only eight or nine. “I ride slower, but there is no balance to be had. And the high percentages on the climbs are not a problem”.
Every evening, Gilbert is welcomed and hosted by cycling clubs or by members of the Federation of associations for the donation of organs and human tissues (France Adot). “At the time of a person’s death, before considering the removal of organs or tissues, the medical team first checks whether this person is not registered on the national register of refusals managed by the agency of biomedicine. But often, in these painful moments, many families are opposed to the donation because there have been no discussions on this subject”.
Arriving in Saint-Girons, Gilbert enjoyed contemplating the still somewhat snowy peaks of the Pyrenees, enjoyed the summer weather, the great friendliness of the welcome from the mayor and his sports assistant. He spent the night with Alain Ferracin, president of the Couserannais cycling club, before setting off again on the roads of France.