Injury Strikes Couple Bicycling 16,000 Miles To Battle Obesity

Sept. 17, 2007 - PRLog -- LittleChanges.com
MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release

Injury strikes Central Pennsylvanian obese woman on 16,000 mile bicycle journey to lose almost 300 pounds

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Monday September 17, 2007 — Knee & ankle injury in Portland, Oregon force couple battling obesity to return to Pennsylvania
Being hit by six cars and one trailer towed behind a pickup truck didn't hurt her.  Except for some black and blue marks and stiffness, Priscilla Houliston has been able to walk away from every mishap she has encountered since hopping on a bicycle in Key West, Florida, weighing in at 343.5 pounds.  But on Friday September 7, 2007 in Portland, Oregon, while snapping a few pictures on a tall bridge, one of the heavy bicycles fell over, striking her ankle, causing her to twist and her to hear the gut-churning sound of a loud pop coming from her knee.
The knee was swollen, sprained and after limping and riding to the closest hospital, the Legacy Good Samaratin Hospital, in Portland, Oregon,  Priscilla had the good fortune of meeting Dr. Andy Mones.  Not only did the good doctor get her leg stable with two different brace devices, he also arranged for the hospital to give her treatment at no cost.  This came as a true miracle to Houliston, who is doing her two-year, 16,000 mile journey on a budget of just $500. a month.  Dr. Andy Mones, of the Northwest Acute Care Specialists, PC, got the bill from his own practice waived as well.  The doctor, who bicycles to work each day, was impressed that Houliston had taken the matter of her health into her own hands and was willing to spend two years on a bicycle to encourage others to get up and move.
Facing a four day train ride back to Pennsylvania from Portland, Oregon sitting up in a seat, Houliston worried about what waited at the end of the line.  With several months of rehabilitation and possible knee surgery in her future, she thought about the bills.  But miracles seem to follow this journey of wellness around, happening daily.  The medical community in Pennsylvania proved just as supportive as it was on the west coast.
Adams Diagnostic Imaging, of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where Priscilla hails from, has agreed to give her a free MRI, using the latest technology to determine just what is to be the outcome of her bicycling injury.  When they perform the MRI on Wednesday, September 19th, 2007, Priscilla will be taking the first step to see how long her road to recovery will be.  Gettysburg Ambulatory Surgical Center, have offered free knee surgery, if it is required.  
This outpour of support has motivated Priscilla to not just recover and ride, but to also continue to lose weight while she is laid up.  
Over the months and miles, Priscilla and her husband Morton have ridden their way into the lives of millions from all over the globe.  Their message is that everyone, regardless of shape and size, needs thirty minutes of exercise daily.  The ride has taken them to places they have never dreamt about including speaking at the State House in Boston, Massachusetts, being made Ambassadors in Newport, Rhode Island and even meeting the entire cast of Spiderman 3, while doing their own press junket in New York City in May 2006.
Going from 420 pounds to 240 and falling has changed the couples quality of life.  Chairs can be sat in, stairs can be climbed and after getting a taste for the healthy life, Priscilla isn't about to let a little knee injury keep her down, even if surgery is required.  As soon as the knee is healed, the couple will be hitting the streets again, spreading the message that "movement & moderation" can change your life.  They invite the world to watch their website, www.LittleChanges.com and most of all, to make their own "little" changes for the biggest results.

More information available at http://www.littlechanges.com
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Media Information


Primary Contact
Chief, Media Relations: Ann Majors
Tel.: (717) 307-0166
priscilla@littlechanges.com   

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To: News Editors and Assignment Editors
From: Ann Majors, LittleChanges.com 717-307-0166

Event: Press Conference for LittleChanges.com Tel:717-307-0166

Wednesday, September 19, 2007 at 2pm, Adams Diagnostic Imaging, 20 Expedition Trail, Suite 102, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 17325

Subject: Priscilla Houliston will announce the plans for the next leg of her 16,000 mile journey around America, depending on the outcome of an MRI on her injured knee.  The media is invited to film the procedure, ask questions of the team involved in making this historic trek into fitness and learn about local events and filming schedules for the documentary being made, LittleChanges.

Questions are welcomed and interviews will be held immediately following the press conference.

Contact numbers:
Adams Diagnostic Imaging :  Contact - Dennis Hursch 717-930-0600
Dr. Andy Mones, Portland, Oregon : 503-442-9677

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About www.LittleChanges.com
A two-year journey covering 16,000 miles, with a couple who are shedding over 300 pounds to battle obesity.  Online journals, photos and interaction allow the viewers to watch from around the globe as history is made and obesity is cured.

Website: www.LittleChanges.com