By Jeff Haden
In the fall of 2009, Dr. Joseph Mirenda, a physician and avid cyclist, left Wintergreen resort on a 60-mile ride to surprise his son Nic who was at the time a freshman at James Madison University. Joe was less than five miles from Harrisonburg when he was hit by a car and killed. Emergency and hospital personnel were unable to find any identification, and it took almost three days to determine who he was.
That week I bought a Road ID. A Road ID is a personal identification tag for fitness and outdoor enthusiasts. (Think of a Road ID as a cross between a military dog tag and a medical alert.) I started wearing my Ankle ID every time I rode. In time I felt naked if I forgot it; the last thing I wanted was to be injured or unconscious, miles from home, with no way for anyone to identify me or contact my wife.
Then a couple years later I had a heart attack in the middle of my own 60-mile ride. My chest started to hurt… then both my arms… then both my hands. (My hands hurt the worst; they felt like they were exploding.) I slumped to the ground, leaned back against the guardrail, hung my head… and saw my Road ID strapped around my ankle. Instantly I thought, “Oh good. No matter what happens someone will call her.”
Full story: Things I Carry: The One Item That Could Save My Life