‘Do something about it’: Why this college grad’s biking hundreds of miles to Myrtle Beach

About four years ago, Danny Chung lost a close friend to suicide. That was the toughest of several such instances in which friends or classmates of his chose to leave this earth all too soon throughout his high school and college years.

Chung felt sorrow. He felt helpless. He felt lost.

Now, Chung feels empowered and he’s hoping to instill that emotion in others.

A recent graduate of Brigham Young University and soon-to-be law school student, the Fairfax, Virginia native next week will embark on a two-week, round-trip trek from Washington, D.C. to Myrtle Beach via bicycle to raise money and promote suicide awareness.

“When I was living in California four years ago I had a really good friend pass away by taking his own life. From then on, I couldn’t really recover very well from it and I kind of had to go through college kind of living with that grief, living with the fact I felt helpless about the whole thing,” Chung said. “So I graduated college and I realized before I go to law school I have this year to spend to actually do something about it, raise money, raise awareness, do anything to just kind of help both with the grieving process and also make an impact so stuff like this won’t happen in the future.”

Partnering with national nonprofit Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE), Chung plans to make the 1,400-plus-mile round-trip ride beginning May 27 and ending June 10. The goal is to bike approximately 100 miles a day while making stops in major cities along the way to interact with others by spreading awareness and raising funds for future research and outreach programs through SAVE.

“It was a really nice opportunity that kind of presented itself that I was really, really grateful for,” said Chung, who will further his education at the Duncan School of Law at Lincoln Memorial University in Knoxville, Tennessee in August.

In preparation for the ride, Chung, 23, wrote a 15-page action plan to organize aspects such as a physical path, budgeting and a fundraising campaign. His financial goal — made in conjunction with SAVE — is to raise $8,000 through a tiered program in which higher donations elicit higher-profile perks.

“I realized I could raise awareness through doing something crazy like that, but at the same time I needed to look for an organization that was willing to support me through this,” he said. “The biggest message that I want to relay to — especially the people affected by suicide — is that the people around them need to be able and open to live a life that their friends or their family weren’t able to live.”

Chung, whose background is in boxing and dancing, has experience in long-distance running and triathlons. However, the most he’s biked on one ride was 50 miles.

“I feel like it’s attainable with the amount of activity I already do. But at the same time I know it’s going to be a challenge in itself because I’m not too familiar with these long-distance bike-packing trips,” Chung said. “Because of the fact that it’s kind of not a regular, normal thing to do I figured it would be a good way to not only do something to test myself but to live a fuller life doing things that I normally would not have done for the sake of those who don’t have a chance to do so.”

Chung, who said he originally planned to end the trek in Wilmington, North Carolina before extending it to Myrtle Beach, said he’s hoping to make it here fast enough to have time to spend in the city. He’s been to Myrtle Beach once as a middle schooler on an orchestra trip.

Whether that winds up being attainable or not, Chung hopes swinging through places like Myrtle Beach along the Eastern Seaboard will help spread an important message for those suffering from mental health issues. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 10th-leading cause of death in the United States and South Carolina ranked 26th in suicide rate in 2017.

“People shouldn’t be afraid to reach out for help and it should not be a symbol of weakness but more of a symbol of strength to be able to seek it when they need it,” he said.

Donations can be made online and you can follow his trek via his blog and Instagram.

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