BALTIMORE — What started as a hiking trip in South Africa turned into a years-long medical journey for Gregory Maassen, who now channels his experience with a rare nerve condition into cross-country cycling adventures to raise awareness and funds for research.
In 2017, Maassen encountered a nest of 70 to 80 ticks while hiking in South Africa. The initial symptoms seemed temporary, but the pain returned with a vengeance.
"When I was hiking in South Africa, I ran into a nest of ticks, maybe 70 or 80 ticks and I didn't feel good for a week. My whole body was burning, but then it went away so I didn't think too much about it," Maassen said.
From a life-changing diagnosis to a cross-country mission! Gregory Maassen is cycling from Florida to California to raise awareness for peripheral neuropathy
The pain returned and intensified. Maassen came back to the United States and was bedridden for nearly a year before seeking treatment at Johns Hopkins in 2019, where he was diagnosed with post-infectious, small fiber sensory neuropathy.
This rare type of neuropathy causes debilitating internal symptoms that can dramatically alter a patient's quality of life, according to Dr. Ahmet Hoke, director and professor at the Center of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
"And when those nerve fibers are abnormal, patients can experience really a life altering symptoms sometimes it's as simple as numbness but majority of times they can get pain, burning ice, cold sensation, electric shock like sensation, and those type of symptoms can really alter a patient's quality of life," Hoke said.
For Maassen, who once traveled the world exploring, the diagnosis was life-changing. However, his treatment at Johns Hopkins marked a turning point.
"When I got under the care of Johns Hopkins when I met Dr. Hoke my life changed for the better," Maassen said.
Regular exercise became part of his treatment plan for peripheral neuropathy, and now he's taking that mission nationwide through cross-country cycling.
"Now I'm going across America to support the Merkin center for something I really believe in for more awareness more education about this condition and more funding for research," Maassen said.
This isn't his first transcontinental journey. On Friday, Johns Hopkins hosted a screening of a documentary Maassen created from his 2022 cross-country ride.
"When you go across America on a bicycle, you see the country different from the car and I can tell you America is a beautiful country and I have met so many fantastic people who host me who want to listen to my story that I am really looking forward to doing it again," Maassen said.
Starting March 1, Maassen will cycle from West Palm Beach, Florida, to Los Angeles, a journey he expects will take five months to complete.
Maassen has already raised over $26,000 for the Merkin PNNR Center for Peripheral Neuropathy Research and will continue dedicating his cross-country rides to the millions of Americans living with the condition.
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