Madriz's mom content with helping him follow his dreams
Back home in Montgomery, Isai Madriz's mother, Guadalupe Villanueva, anxiously awaits the promised daily text message or phone call while her son is on the road.
When Madriz takes a break from his journey, Villanueva's heart is more at peace, but part of her feels like she is always far away with him, she said.
"When I am lying down I wonder, where is he lying down? When I am eating I wonder, where is he eating?" she said. "But all I can give him is support. One's responsibility with children doesn't end at feeding them. As parents, we have to support them, we have to help them to follow their dreams, and that is what he is doing."
Madriz's girlfriend of three years, Danielle Palmer, 27, who moved in with Villanueva seven months ago after her return from the Peace Corps, said the first time the family truly got scared was in late August. They went about a week without contact while Madriz was riding through Colombia, a notoriously unstable country, and out of cell phone reach.
Palmer plans to join him in Peru on Oct. 19, his 27th birthday. Madriz is going to put his bike aside, and the two will spend a few weeks hiking through the Andes and visiting sites like Machu Picchu, she said.
"I am really proud of him," Palmer said. "We are both pretty adventurous, and he is doing what he wants to do."
St. Charles-based Jesus Guadalupe Foundation President Roberto Ramirez said it's irrelevant how much, or how little, money Madriz's trip will ultimately raise. In fact, Ramirez said he sent - unsolicited - $1,000 from the foundation to Madriz back in April when the young biker was in particularly dire straits.
The true impact of his voyage will be felt after Madriz returns to tell his story, no doubt invigorating others to reach for their goals, Ramirez said.
"I love what he is doing, it's something else," he said. "He's a good kid. It's very honorable of him to do such a thing, not many people would take on that challenge. It inspires people to have other ideas and dreams in life."