Mattituck woman to bike across France and Spain for suicide prevention

Katie Coe has spent much of her young life giving back, from working to help after Huricane Sandy and later, volunteering in the Philippines.

And now, Coe, 23, is set to pedal off on her greatest adventure yet — biking across France and Spain to raise funds and awareness for suicide prevention.

According to her You Caring page, Coe was motivated to help shine the light on suicide prevention after Ricky Metz took his own life on September 29, 2014.

“We can’t always see the pain someone else feels,” Coe said.

She added that Maryann Bohonan, Ricky’s mom and one of her closest friends, shared memories of her son with Coe, who’d never met him.

And after hearing about how his suicide tore his mother’s heart, Coe, who graduated from Mattituck High School in 2009 and Hofstra University in 2013, vowed to make a difference. Her plan is to travel to Paris via Dublin on January 21-22. From there, she hopes to meet up with others and begin a ride across France and Spain. “The ride will be dedicated to Ricky Metz, and will raise awareness and funds for suicide prevention. My personal goal of the 1300-1500 km. will be to let each and every day be simply beautiful,” she wrote on the page.

All funds raised leading up to and during the ride will be donated directly to suicide prevention, primarily the Long Island Crisis Center, she said.

The route will tentatively include Paris, Geneva, Marseille, and then on further west in Spain — a journey of close to 1700 miles.

“Life doesn’t have to be any certain way,” Coe added. “My message through this ride is simple: Know you’re beautiful; know you’re loved; breathe. Ricky’s mom said we are ‘Reaching out for love. Reaching out for those who can’t see it or remember it.’ I encourage everyone to get involved in whatever way is right for you. If that means taking a moment to appreciate the sky, do that. If it means meeting me in France with a bicycle, by all means, do that.”

Coe explained to SoutholdLOCAL why she chose France to cycle. “It was hard at first telling people that I wanted to do this in France, when I could have saved myself a lot of money by doing it here in the USA. I got mixed feedback, several mentions and questions about why I would spend money that I hardly have to cycle in another country. Well, honestly, I inspire myself when I leave my comfort zone. I have no comfort zone in France. I’ve never been to France. I thrive on new experiences and challenges and find it hard to thrive without them. So that’s why I decided to see a new country. France, specifically, came to me when thinking of where in the world I have friends, and where the flights would be affordable. I have many, many friends in Europe, and am actually meeting one of my best friends, who I met last year volunteering in the Philippines, in Ireland and then we are flying to France together.”

Describing how she heard about Metz’s death, Coe said. “I was away living and working in western Pennsylvania this fall, with another friend I met in the Philippines.” Coe said she’s spoken to Bohanan, Ricky’s mom, often. “It broke my heart to hear how much she was hurting. I knew that I wanted to do something positive, both for myself and for others, with these few months in between jobs, and I was constantly thinking about my friend’s loss, and suicide was already an important issue to me. So I asked her if I could ride in honor of her son, Ricky Metz, and raise funds/awareness as I go, and she liked the idea. ”

Coe said the plan is to winter camp on her trip, so she’s bringing a tent, sleeping mat/bag, camping gear, warm clothes for nights and riding, and bike gear, along with a new bike that was recently received as a donation.

“I am not doing too much to prepare, besides taking some time to pack bit by bit, and getting used to my road bike, since I’ve never ridden one before, Mentally, I know I can’t be ‘ready to go’ until I am there and going, but I am not nervous, I am excited to have this wonderful opportunity.”

So far, Coe has held a number of fundraisers for the cause, including an origami fundraiser, a bake sale, and a night of ice skating. In addition, the You Caring page has garnered donations, with total funds raised at $2,800, not including the funds for the bicycle, which she received from Project Pay it Forward, whose members “stepped forward with all of the money I needed for a bike. So incredible.”

Over past years, Coe has given back after Hurricane Sandy and has held many  fundraisers for different causes, and organized food drives.

“Most memorable to me was my three-and-a-half months in Leyte, Philippines after Typhoon Yolanda, or Haiyan, she said.

“I love all of it. I don’t ever want to be thanked for it, I just know that I am lucky enough to have the means to help out, and to have the mentality to want  to. I never feel that any of it is a burden, and I really love when I hear that any one person is better off because of a little effort I made, or that someone else was inspired to give back in some way. I don’t have much money to donate to causes and organizations, so I find different ways to help, while donating a few dollars here and there when I can. I also really like to emphasize to people the idea that ‘every little bit helps,’ because I have seen the $1 and $2 donations add up, time after time.”

Coe said she still lives in Mattituck when she’s home from her adventures. “I still don’t really know what I want to do in the future, but with each new adventure I think, and hope, that I am getting closer to that answer.”

Preparing for her upcoming trip has instilled worthy life lessons, Coe said. “I began teaching myself how to budget really well. I tell myself ‘buy only what you need. Food, gas, and bike supplies. Well, maybe a couple cups of coffee when you’re tired — but only with your gift cards.’ I put any cash that I make away into ‘not to spend money’ and I’ve gotten awesome at finding deals on ebay for my trip,” she said. “I went through my old gift cards and sold three of them that I still could have used, but instead, this will be gas money. Even living day to day, knowing there is not a dollar extra to be wasted, I was still worried that I would run out of money for pasta and peanut butter somewhere in the middle of France.”

Most important, Coe said that the experience has heightened her sensitivity toward those who’ve experience the suicide of a loved one. “The issue of suicide is very hard. I can only speak for myself when I say what we ‘should do’. Speak kindly, and speak often. Always reach out to someone in need, and when you are in need. Ask for help. If you find one thing that ‘saves’ you, hold on to it forever, and never hesitate to go there. Bullying is never even a little bit okay. Depression is brutal. You never know how someone is feeling, so share your love with them.”