ROCKFORD (WIFR) -- Tom EZ Goen will be in Rockford and will make a stop at Kegel-Harley-Davidson to say hi on Thursday.

On Sunday at about 10:30am he and his daughter will stop at Kegel's to enjoy breakfast at Kegel's Diner, before they continue the last leg of Tom's journey: to the Field of Dreams.

Kegel's invites you to stop out, meet Tom and enjoy breakfast (or lunch) with Tom, hear about his trip, on Sunday, before he continues on his way home.

About Tom Goen: Tom "EZ" Goen sat on a couch in his Dyersville home, depressed and without a glimmer of hope that his condition would improve.

Goen was suffering the effects of an auto-immune disease, and his body was losing its red blood cell count.

After numerous hospital visits over the past five years, Goen was able to get back on his feet.

"I'm so happy and blessed that I got help," Goen said.
Goen, 48, will board his custom-made Harley Davidson motorcycle Tuesday and leave on a 49-state tour to raise awareness of Americans living with disabilities.

His mission is called PURPAL, which stands for People United Relieving Painful American Lives. The goal of his organization is to let others know their disabilities can be treated. "I'm sure there are other people that could use that same help," Goen said.

Goen's condition worsened about three years ago. He lost weight, and psoriasis and arthritis started taking over his body. The condition of his feet became so debilitating that amputation was considered. Doctors told Goen that he had psoriasis, a skin condition, on more than 75 percent of his body.

It wasn't until a trip to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City that Goen started to feel better. "They helped me out, and they figured out what the hell was going on," Goen said. "They got me the medication I needed."

Goen, a former corporate manager, has a new look since his illness. He can walk on his own, but uses the assistance of a cane.

He has a long beard with streaks of gray, a mass of facial hair Goen said he hasn't shaved in more than two years.

"I'm afraid to shave it up," Goen said. "It's kind of like a Hercules thing. I shave it up, and I might get sick again."

Goen's trip across America quickly caught the attention of a local filmmaker.

Joe Scherrman, owner of DreamCatcher Productions in Dyersville, became interested in Goen's story after hearing of his many ailments.
"How do you go from laying on the couch, nearly dead, to taking a trip across the U.S.?," Scherrman said. "It was somewhat traumatic, yet exhilarating to see the guy turn his life around."

Goen will take a video camera with him on his motorcycle, and transmit clips back to Scherrman, if possible.

Scherrman said completing a documentary on Goen's story isn't out of the question.

"If he can spread some goodwill and do some educational things, (the documentary) will be successful," Scherrman said.

Goen plans to travel to the Northwest first and hopes to catch a car ferry to Alaska. His journey will then take him through the southern U.S. and the East Coast before returning to the Midwest sometime in October.

"I'm really anxious to get going," Goen said.