at a performance in San Francisco last
summer
(Photos © J. Maus)
Hollis Hawthorne, one of the founders of The Bay Area Derailleurs bike dance troupe, is clinging to life in India today.
The Derailleurs were formed in 2007 by former Portlander and Sprockette Eliza Strack and they performed last summer in Portland at the Sprockettes Bicycle Bash.
Last week, Hawthorne was riding on the back of a motorcycle in the streets of Pondicherry, India and collided with a bus. Hawthorne was wearing a helmet, but still sustained a major injury to her head. Her boyfriend performed CPR on her for over a half-hour before she eventually ended up in a hospital.
Today, family and friends from all over the world are trying to raise money to fly Hollis to a hospital in the California Bay Area.
shown here dancing with
her friend and former Portland
resident Eliza Strack.
As the news of Hawthorne’s tragic situation spread to Portland, her good friend (and Sprockette) Shannon Palermo sent this email to friends:
“I hate sad news, but I am seeking prayers and thoughts of golden light for our bike dance sister, Agent Verve – Ms. Hollis Hawthorne, of the Bay Area Derailleurs.
…Hollis was integral to starting the Bay Area Derailleurs & truly a sister of our collective bike dance community. It is with great sadness that I report news of such gravity. Hollis is a woman of strength & true zest for life – please join myself, The Sprockettes, The Derailleurs, and the greater bicycle community as we send love and light to Hollis.”
I hope Hollis can pull through this. I watched her and The Derailleurs dance in California this summer (photos here) and she is a light that still has a lot of shine left in her. Updates on Hawthorne’s condition and information about how to donate can be found at the Friends of Hollis blog.