CHICAGO — For Michael Seminetta, the road to recovery and awareness continues to be traveled by bike.
WGN-TV first introduced viewers to Seminetta, a recovering heroin addict, last month when the now 40-year-old revealed he was biking from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, to raise awareness and money for drug rehab centers after spending 20 years in and out of prisons.
After reaching rock bottom of imprisonment and having multiple near-death experiences, Seminetta said he made a promise to himself to live a better life and show others struggling with addiction that it could be done.
“Going in and out of jail, rehab, and mostly my family being heartbroken was a very big motivator for me to get clean,” Seminetta told WGN-TV in September.
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Before beginning his ride on Sept. 7, the Evergreen Park native published a book entitled, ‘Ripple,’ in which he chronicles his downward journey of heroin dependence and his epiphany to get things right.
“Over the course of about 10 years, I completely destroyed all semblances of normalcy in my life,” Seminetta wrote.
Seminetta has now traveled through Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico, eventually reaching Winslow, Arizona. He said he has learned much about himself and has encountered more dogs and horses on his journey than in his entire life.
Seminetta said the beautiful places seen and the wonderful people at diners and motels, who he said have been very interested in his past, present, and future journey, are equally satisfying.
“It’s pretty rare to meet someone who doesn’t have anything to say about (addiction),” he said. “A bunch of people have started to tell me about a family member or themselves who have had substance abuse disorders. Fentanyl is everywhere.”
Follow Seminetta’s continued journey here on his Facebook page.