Matthew Beggarly

Background

About Matthew Beggarly

On February 14th, 2018, I became the first person to bicycle across the United States after surviving: a widow maker heart attack (that stopped my heart for 6.5 minutes), open heart surgery, a TIA stroke (during my surgery), as well as multiple clashes with cancer. My journey was completely unsupported - and solo - covering a total of 4,382 miles, over feet of elevation changes, and weather ranging from 0 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. It took 4 months to complete and was my second attempt at it. The first attempt was in the fall of 2016 and ended abruptly with a collision where I was left for dead in a drainage ditch outside of Dallas, TX. While healing I sailed the inter-coastalwaterway of the Eastern Seaboard, writing about my stops for several different magazines and blogs. It was during my sea travels that I started work on my first novel "Carly & Otis, Show the World." Inspired by a once in a lifetime encounter with a pod of dolphins off the Georgia coast, it is known as a Eco-fiction book that focuses on the relationships humans have with wildlife (Otis is a Whale) and the the potentially irrevocable damage we are doing to Mother Earth. There are two more books in the series due out later this year. Throughout my journey from death bed to changing everything, I have a unique perspective on the world that only comes from dying and then deciding to truly live. What it takes to live a life of inspiration and meaning is now my reality. I love to share my experiences - of the bad as well as the great - to carry a message of inspiration:any of us can do something incredible. Having shared my experiences with other survivors and people across the country, speaking at events with military personnel, medical patients, businesses, writers, travelers, sports enthusiasts, children to adults and at risk teens, it has become important for me to not just tell people but to show people that it is okay to put a lifetime of life behind you to live a life beyond fear