Story and photos by: Ricky Jimenez Carrasco
The little boy in these photos has had a heart condition since before he was born. He wasn’t supposed to have lived for all his 7 years. He has had many complications from his condition, and come back from it all. He is listed as day-to-day. But, none of that is important. What is important is that he is a fighter, and he has his own will. This Sunday, when he was being granted wishes by “Reach for a Star” and the Mission Riders M/C, the weather turned ugly. 60 mph winds, dusty conditions, low visibility. I asked Angel’s mom if she had any apprehensions about letting him ride in this weather. “I allowed him to ride because HE wanted to. I’ll let him live his life however he wants to.”
Gil, president of the Mission Riders, tells me how he met with Debra Ruz, president of “Reach for a Star” at another biker event. “Debra approached me to tell me that she had a little boy that needed a wish granted urgently. We immediately got to work.” I asked him what affected Gil about Angel and his situation. “My sons are my life. When I see a little one like Angel, it breaks my heart that he may not be able to be like them.” Gil was impressed by Angel because of his lack of fear the first time they met. “He just ran out to meet us and started to climb on my bike! Today, we were worried (because of blowing dust), but he jumped on the bike, adjusted his helmet, bandana, and oxygen line and said ‘I’m riding’ like a real biker.”
Angel’s mom was very appreciative of all the attention being showered on her little miracle. She tells me the roller coaster ride that has been his life. Surprisingly, she is in complete control of the situation and herself. Many parents would be beside themselves if their child simply had a scraped knee, much less a critical illness. She’s a fighter, alongside her son. “Many of his organs are failing. He doesn’t want dialysis and he hates IVs. He is non-responsive to normal medication. In fact, the only thing he’s really taking is pain medication.” I asked her what she thought of all the bikers coming out to support her, “It’s wonderful. I’d like to thank all the bikers who came out in all this wind, Hospice of El Paso, and Reach for a Star for everything they’ve done today.”
As Renee’, a social worker with Hospice of El Paso assigned to Angel, says it “Moms are THE strongest people you’ll ever meet.” Renee’ has only known Angel for about 6 weeks, “but I know him like you’re seeing him, a happy little boy. He knows he’s sick, but that hasn’t stopped him from doing what he wants to do.” It didn’t stop him today. Angel looked wide eyed at all the cameras pointed his way and he never flinched, never took cover behind family. If a bunch of big, bad bikers or huge masked men came your way, most adults would at least stop. Angel took pictures with every biker and wrestler there, accepted their gifts and handshakes graciously.
Angel had several wishes for the day. The first was to ride on a real bike. Angel’s family met up with the Mission Riders and a group of other clubs who came out to support them, including Chamucos MC, Seed of Abraham MC, Centauros MC and the Red Dragons. They rode along North Loop (that at the time had about a 1/4 mile visibility) to the Mission Riders clubhouse. Angel was inundated with gifts by various organizations and businesses who responded to Debra’s pleas for help from the community. Debra, who has been with the all-volunteer organization for 20 years, simply wanted to state her gratitude to everyone: “Our kids thank you!” She also stated that this was the fastest a wish has been granted, only 2 weeks from meeting Gil to fulfilling the wish.
The last wish was granted at Wild Wild West where he got to attend a local wrestling event and got to meet his favorite wrestler, Sin Cara. When Sin Cara came out, little Angel smiled from ear to ear. He hugged him tight and didn’t want to let go. The wrestler also presented him with an Xbox 360, donated by DKD realty. When I contacted the family the next day, I was told that Angel still hadn’t come down off his cloud.
As for Gil, he summed up the day by stating, “Whatever happens, Angel, you know all these big ugly bikers will always be there to help.”
Category Featured |
By Joe Olvera ©, 2012
Rio Grande Shovelheads’ motto, when it comes to motorcycles is “restore, don’t replace.”
And, this motorcycle shop of specialists is just the place to achieve your biggest desire of having the bike of your dreams. Owner Joe Castillo says that whether you want your “scoot” to look original, or custom, his shop specializes in shovelheads and more. To the uninitiated, a shovelhead is simply the engine on a motorcycle.
“We service all kinds of bikes, including metrics, cruisers, sport, Harleys, dirt bikes, and ATVs,” said Castillo. “We also do high performance upgrades, ground-up customs, custom restoration, custom head work and others. We’ve been in business for two years and always have two projects working at the same time.” In addition to restoring and customizing bikes, the shop, located at 3984 Doniphan Drive, offers already restored or rebuilt bikes. Their most expensive model is a 1983 Shovelhead that runs to $17,000. It has been completely rebuilt. In addition to this beauty, Rio Grande Shovelheads also offers for sale a 2008 Sucker Punch Sally, a 2007 Softtail Deluxe, a 2003 Yamaha Roadster Silver Edition, a 1999 Electroglide, among others.
“I started restoring bikes as a hobby, working from my garage,” Castillo said. “When I hired Oscar Ybarra, the business got serious and we started growing. Now I have three employees. We’re all experts in restoring and rebuilding. For example, Tury Arevalo is our fabricator. He welds frames and does all types of metal work and is an all-around mechanic. When we can’t buy parts because they’re no longer available, Tury can build them from scratch. However, Paul Lujan is our most experienced specialist.”
Lujan, who has been in the business for 30 years, said he began working on bikes from an early age. He is a certified mechanic, and once worked on cars, trucks and everything else. “But, now, restoring and rebuilding is what I like to do the most. “Working on bikes is easier, a lot smaller, and a lot safer,” Lujan said. “I spent eight years, attended Harley Davidson School, where I Iearned to work on bikes of every kind, and here I am today. The training at Harley school was great, working on Harleys at the school prepared me and gave me a big advantage.”
Category Featured |
By Joe Olvera ©, 2012
They call them Weekend Bikers – people who are so busy with their professional careers that they can’t find the time to ride their beloved bikes except on weekends. However, one leading El Paso citizen, Julio Cesar Viramontes, said that he has improved on that by riding his bike at least once a month. It used to be that he could only ride his bike three or four times per year. “I now ride at least once a month for a couple of hours,” Viramontes said. “I especially love to ride the back roads in New Mexico, enjoying the scenery and aromas of crops like onions and chiles striking my senses.”
Viramontes, CEO and President of International Garment Processors, started riding bikes when he was very young when he owned a Kawasaki 500. Later, he acquired such bikes as a1979 FLH, a 1976 Electra Glide and a 1994 Springer. His current ride is a 1997 Harley-Davidson Road King. This King of the Road slowed down a bit when he turned 72. Cursed with Diabetes, however, he uses his 600-pound ride as a form of exercise. “I’m attracted to the same elements that attract other bikers, such as the freedom of being on the road, the wind on your face, a powerful machine between your legs and enjoying that the sound of a powerful engine attracts attention.”
The philanthropist has a passion for helping the people of El Paso and surrounding area. Born in a Mexican village known as Praxedis Guerrero, which lies about 40 miles south of Juarez, he hasn’t forgotten his roots. His love of the New Mexico countryside stems from the fact that when he was only five, his family moved to Canutillo, N.M., where he worked the fields for six years, hauling water and tending farm animals. When he was 13, however, his family, which consisted of his mother, his father, three brothers and a sister, moved to the Sherman Housing Projects in South El Paso.
Living in the city changed his life tremendously. He worked hard while dreaming of owning a laundromat. In time, he owned not one, but two laundromats, thanks to a loan from his brother. This beginning led to his highly successful life as the CEO of International Garment Processors. He has owned other businesses in the past, but, has sold them and now retains only that company. His semi-retired life now consists of selling properties he has obtained throughout the years.
“I’m easing out of the business and letting my children take over,” Viramontes said. “I’ve also retired from belonging to so many boards and organizations, concentrating on helping raise money for the Father Yermo Foundation. But, I don’t feel that I can completely retire. I must continue being active even if that means that I can ride my bike a little bit more than I used to.” The deeply religious Catholic has plans to travel to Portugal to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. “I love traveling with my wife, especially going to places where I can practice and renew my faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ. But, I will always love riding my bike. It’s very satisfying, it helps me relax, and it truly makes me feel like I’m the King of the Road.”
Category Lifestyles |
