PARIS – Patrick Harris just completed a trip to promote awareness of stem cell research that exceeded 700 miles in a week.

One-hundred miles per day may not sound that ambitious, but Harris said 414 miles were put on the van and 320 miles on his electric wheelchair.

Harris is a quadriplegic.

In November 2001 he was in an automobile crash in which he broke his neck, confining him to a wheelchair.

He believes stem cell research will provide his only chance to walk again.

Stem cells are undeveloped cells that grow in the body’s tissues and organs. These cells are sometimes taken from embryos. Funding for research using them has been limited in many countries, including the United States, often on moral grounds.

Harris would like to see more research, and to that end he made his journey to talk about stem cell research and to gather signatures on a petition asking that more research be conducted.

Harris said he printed up 4,700 petitions that have room for 20 signatures each. He elicited signatures, as did his road crew and personal care attendants, Amanda Saucier and Sara Wheeler.

He plans to go to Washington, D.C., from Nov. 8 to 15 and hopes to present petitions with 50,000 signatures to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.

He arrived in Fort Kent on Sept. 4 and for the next two days worked his way toward Bangor by stopping in Presque Isle, Houlton, Caribou and Mars Hill. The trio stopped at truck stops, businesses and talked to people in the streets.

Saturday was spent in and around the Bangor area using the same strategy, but included malls to hand out petitions.

While in Bangor Harris visited the Greater Bangor Area Shelter, where he was the night time director about 10 years ago.

Sunday he visited his hometown of Bar Harbor.

“Being on the roads was nerve wracking,” Harris said. “The logging trucks up north take up a lot of room.

“The worst piece of road was at Hulls Cove on the way to Bar Harbor,” he said. “This is where I grew up. It’s the same road I used to walk on.”

Monday he was on the campus at the University of Maine in Orono where he graduated in 1992.

Tuesday he was in Augusta and although he did not get to see Gov. John Baldacci, he was given a tour by one of his staff members and one of the security staff.

He said he did pass out petitions there. While in Augusta he went to malls, business and visited Togus Veterans Hospital.

Tuesday he arrived in Lewiston and received a complimentary room at the Hilton and visited businesses on Center Street and the Auburn Mall.

He said there were some serious road problems on Center Street.

“There was very little room between me and the cars,” Harris said. “Pot holes and drop-offs are very dangerous to me. I’m strapped into this 290-pound chair and if I tip over, well, I land on my head. I can’t break my fall.”

He spent Wednesday in the Lewiston-Auburn area and came home to Paris Thursday morning.

He called his trip successful and plans to visit the Oxford Fair this weekend to pass out more petitions, talk about stem cell research and pursue the only route he believes will enable him to walk again.

Harris said he appreciated all the places that reached out to him and let him have complimentary rooms for his trip. He said he has to shoulder the cost of most of the rest of the trip, which was difficult because he is living on a fixed income.

He is trying to raise $2,500 for his November trip to Washington for him and two personal care attendants.

Harris may be reached at humpbacknorthernherd@earthlink.net or by writing to P.O. Box 14 Bryant Pond, ME 04219.

jsmedley@sunjournal.com

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