Richard Propes is known for his long-distance wheelchair rides.
His next fundraising event, called the Tenderness Tour, will include wheelchair rides and vehicle drives between several Hoosier cities as part of an effort to raise $1 million to eliminate medical debt in Indiana. It kicks off at 9 a.m. Sept. 13 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, where Propes will travel the Cultural Trail to the Monon Trail and end his journey for the day in Carmel.
Propes, a paraplegic/double amputee who lives in northeast Indianapolis, survived bladder and prostate cancer in 2023. He understands how high his medical costs would be if he didn’t have good insurance.
“Going through cancer, I found this website, Undue Medical Debt, and I saw that there was something I could do to help,” Propes said.
Propes said Undue Medical Debit partners with individuals, faith-based organizations, foundations and corporations and empowers donors by converting every dollar contributed into $100 of medical debt relief on average. Undue partners with hospitals and health systems and physician groups to acquire medical debt for abolishment. So, raising $1 million could wipe out $100 million in medical debt for Indiana residents.
Propes said he wants to meet with Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam on the first day of the Tenderness Tour after he arrives in the city.
“She said if she is unable to meet with me, other community leaders would meet with me while I’m there,” he said.
The tour, during which Propes will travel 150 miles in his wheelchair, will continue with a route into Kokomo Sept. 14 and conclude Sept. 21 at Monument Circle in Indianapolis.
Propes started the Tenderness Tour in 1989 with a mission to prevent child abuse in Indiana. It continued every year until 2019.
“I’m 58, so it’s a little bit tougher,” Propes said. “It’s something I love doing. So, when I get a (signal) it’s time to go back out, I just do it.”
Propes, who was born with spina bifida, lost both his legs in the mid-1980s.
“I am someone who, because of medical debt, lived in my car twice in my 20s,” said Propes, who works for the state of Indiana as the provider services director for the Bureau of Disability Services. “This time around, I have pretty decent insurance, so I wasn’t facing that. I had a lot of out-of-pocket (costs), but I wasn’t facing the idea of being homeless, even though I was going through cancer and had multiple surgeries. But I remember that fear of getting another bill and another bill. I wanted to do something for people facing financial ruin.”
To donate, sponsor a meal or hotel/motel stay, or become involved in the Tenderness Tour as road support, visit the event’s fundraising page at unduemedicaldebt.org/campaign/medical-debt-relief/?utm_campaign=MedicalDebt.
For more, visit tendernesstour.com.
The 2024 Tenderness Tour
- Sept. 13: Start at Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis and wheel the Indianapolis Cultural Trail and Monon Trail into Carmel
- Sept. 14: Drive to Kokomo. Wheel the Nickel Plate Trail from Kokomo to Peru
- Sept. 15: Wheel the Nickel Plate Trail from Peru to Rochester
- Sept. 16: Drive to Elkhart County. Wheel the Pumpkinvine Trail from Elkhart/Goshen to Middlebury
- Sept. 17: Wheel from Middlebury to Shipshewana
- Sept. 18: Drive to Marion. Wheel the Cardinal Greenway from Marion to Gaston
- Sept. 19: Wheel from Gaston to Muncie
- Sept. 20: Wheel from Muncie to Richmond
- Sept. 21: Drive to Indianapolis. Wheel three routes engaging Indy’s professional athletes.
*Source: Tenderness Tour
