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Source: The Telegraph, Alton, Ill.self storageOct. 15--Cathy Dunnagan, a survivor of a rare bile duct cancer, had an opportunity to give back to a couple of courageous young bicyclists on a Donate Life trip across the countryMichael Choppi and Max Mossler, both 22 and from Phoenix, became acquainted with Dunnagan via social media, and she decided to invite them to stay at the Wood River home she shares with her husband, Jeff, last week. Choppi and Mossler are on an 1,800-mile cross-country cycling journey from Phoenix to Wrigley Field in Chicago, where they hope to release a portion of the ashes of Choppi's late brother, Joe, at the historic ballpark. Joe Choppi committed suicide, but his liver and two kidneys were donated to someone, and it allowed the recipient to survive."I am so honored to be able to thank them for what they are doing," said Cathy Dunnagan, who is a survivor of cholangiocarinoma, a cancer that has a 99 percent fatality rate.She has undergone two liver transplants that enabled her to survive since July 4, 2009."I can just start crying when I think about what they are doing," Dunnagan said. "I am friends of Donate Life on the Facebook Web page, and I just clicked it and saw they were coming through Illinois and thought I had to welcome them here."Choppi and Mossler are expected to arrive in Chicago and go to Wrigley Field on Wednesday. The two became close friends while attending Arizona State University in Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix.Joe Choppi was a huge Chicago Cubs fan, so Michael Choppi and Mossler came up with the concept to make the trek to Wrigley Field to raise awareness for organ donation and encourage people to sign up as donors at the cities and destinations they visited.Cathy has a Web page under the name of Catherine Dunnagan with a simple headline: "I'm still here!" Beneath it is a Telegraph article that was published on Christmas Day 2010, with the headline, "Family enjoys 'miracle' of Christmas.""Because of my story published in The Telegraph, it changed at least three people's lives for the better, and I think it saved their lives," she said, because transplants and treatments ensued after they read the article.Dr. William Chapman, a surgeon at Washinmini storageton University in St. Louis, performed Dunnagan's transplant surgery and also has helped many other people with similar problems survive because of his surgical abilities and knowledge.Neither Michael Choppi nor Mossler is a traditional competitive bicyclist. Their longest ride before this adventure was 20 miles; now, each sometimes has ridden 80 miles in a day. Mossler said he even borrowed a bike in order to try to make the journey.Dunnagan wanted to take Choppi and Mossler to some place special in the River Bend, so she and her husband decided to take them to Fast Eddie's in Alton. Choppi and Mossler said they loved the atmosphere at Fast Eddie's, an Alton landmark, and couldn't believe the prices."I am from Los Angeles originally, and I couldn't believe the prices," Mossler said. "I had a burger and brat, and my favorite was the Big Elwood on a stick."While here, Mossler and Choppi were able to join in on the festivities of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League playoffs at Busch Stadium.Choppi said they were able to donate his brother's organs because of the time he was left on life support at the hospital. He said those who handled the organ donations did a magnificent job of showing them that something positive came from his brother's death.Ed Ramia, who owns Chem Dry franchises in the Los Angeles area and is Mossler's friend, donated some money to help them make the trip across country. Several people have let them stay at their homes and fed them along the journey.Anyone wishing to help out the two young cyclists may visit .donatelife.net or .bronatelife.com, Michael Choppi and Mossler's website.Jeff Dunnagan, Cathy's husband, said without a liver donation, his wife would not be alive or be with him, something he can't imagine."I was really impressed by Joe's statement in his blog that is so simply put but just prolific: 'Why not donate your organs, because you aren't going to need them, and someone can live with them,'" Jeff said. "That is a pretty simple statement that hit home."dbrannan@civitasmedia.comCopyright: ___ (c)2013 The Telegraph (Alton, Ill.) Visit The Telegraph (Alton, Ill.) at .thetelegraph.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉