East Lansing resident Brian Zygmontowicz poses for a portrait with his longboard on Nov. 19, 2013, outside of Campus Town Mall on Grand River Avenue. His trip, called Ziggy’s Breast Quest, involves him riding across the country to promote cancer awareness.
He’s slept under overpasses, pushed through unrelenting rain, faced the brutality of an unobscured summer sun and wrapped T-shirts around his legs to keep warm.
For about four months, East Lansing resident Brian Zygmontowicz traveled from Brunswick, Maine to Key West, Fla. without a penny in his pocket.
The catch? He traveled the span of the east coast on a skateboard, subjecting himself to nature’s elements to raise awareness for cancer.
In May, Zygmontowicz dropped everything without a game plan. What started as a trip to improving his skateboarding skills turned into a mission to help others. With only a day’s worth of planning, Zygmontowicz, 28, hitchhiked to Maine to begin Ziggy’s Breast Quest, the name he gave his journey.
Forty skateboards and about four months later, Zygmontowicz arrived in Key West in September and flew back to Michigan on a kind stranger’s donated frequent flier miles.
“The main thing has been a soul-finding process for myself, but there’s no reason that I shouldn’t try to help other people,” Zygmontowicz said.
When he started south to Key West, he was armed with only 22 pounds worth of belongings — two skateboards, his backpack, a few T-shirts, a hoodie, four pairs of socks, an HD camera, his cellphone and a toiletry kit.
“Hygiene is definitely key,” Zygmontowicz said.
Food, water, laundry and a place to sleep were entirely reliant on benefactors along the way. Zygmontowicz called restaurants and hotels that fell in his path to ask if they would donate a meal or bed.
Sometimes he crashed on couches and occasionally didn’t eat. This took a toll on his health.
“It’s excruciating,” Zygmontowicz said, referring to being sick and traveling by skateboard. “You can’t breathe, you’re stuffy, you’re miserable, (but) you still have to skate miles upon miles everyday. (And), nobody is still helping you out.”
While alone for the most part, Zygmontowicz encountered countless people along the way — both good and bad.
“I’ve learned how shallow (people) can be,” he said. “At the other end, the people that do help you out are the most giving, kind, generous, loving people that I’m never going to forget.”
He said people generally reached out and donated to both his cause and the American Cancer Society once they heard about what he was doing. Additionally, he found the skateboarding community to be extremely supportive.
“It’s an absolute nightmare doing this without sponsors,” Zygmontowicz said. “There have been days (I went) 20 miles in 90-degree weather, sweating top to bottom (and) haven’t eaten. … Every town (I got) no help, so (I) just (kept) going. (It’s) definitely mind over matter.”
Zygmontowicz said he does not know how much money his last trip raised for the American Cancer Society because the foundation has not divulged that information to him yet.
After a few months of taking a break, he’s at it again — except this time, he’ll be skateboarding from Key West to the San Diego Zoo in California, starting Dec. 4.
He said his trip will take at least 838 hours, or 35 days, and will be 2,677 miles long. There is no guarantee of sidewalks or roads along the way. Some of the destinations he’ll be going through are New Orleans and Houston. Additionally, he’ll be making his way through more desolate conditions, such as the desert.
“Let’s step it up a little bit, let’s go through more miserable conditions,” he said. “Let’s see what I can go through.”
Zygmontowicz said he has planned this trip out better than the last and is doing all he can to gather sponsors. Action Board Sports already has sponsored his skateboards.
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“I’m absolutely terrified of it being winter time,” Zygmontowicz said. “I don’t have a proper sleeping bag (or) the proper clothing so far.”
However, he refuses to allow those fears to stop him.
“There is something oddly mysterious about not having anything at all and just throwing yourself out there for the world,” Zygmontowicz said. “You never know what’s going to be around the corner, so it’s pretty unreal.”
To donate to Zygmontowicz’s journey, visit ziggysbreastquest.org
