Man's inspirational story intersects with Humane Society fundraiser | Events

One patch of black ice changed a Dalton Gardens man's life forever, but that hasn't slowed him down from finding ways to help and inspire others.

Nick Maniscaloa, 24, was traveling home from Walla Walla to North Idaho on Jan. 27, 2008, when he lost control of his vehicle after hitting ice and slammed into a flatbed semi trailer. Nick suffered a traumatic brain injury and was in a coma for four months.

“I was alive, but I wasn't really there,” he said. “The doctors told my parents that I'd be lucky if I lived.”

Nick said the doctors estimated that he would likely never walk or talk again. When all was said and done, he spent eight months in the hospital and “immediately got out and started therapy.”

“My brother, right at the end of my program, presented me a late birthday gift,” he said. “It was to walk 365 miles in 365 days.”

From Sept. 5, 2011 to Sept. 4, 2012, Nick walked more than 365 cumulative miles “down the street and everywhere, really.”

“It came down to the last couple days of walking, and I already knew I would finish,” Nick said. “So I said, 'Alright, what am I going to do after this? How am I going to stay motivated?' So I decided I would bike 3650 miles in 365 days, and I'm on that right now.”

That mission brought Nick to the Peak Fitness Gym in Post Falls for the Ride for Rover Indoor Bike Ride to benefit the Kootenai County Humane Society on Friday.

The Ride for Rover event is a 24-hour fundraiser for the animal shelter that includes a dog show, pets for adoption and 18 teams that will keep their bikes cycling for an entire day. This is the second year the gym has hosted a fundraiser for the Humane Society.

“We wanted to give to a local charity to show that we're involved in the community and not just a for-profit business,” Peak Fitness general manager Heath Wiltse said. “Everybody loves dogs.”

Nick biked 18 miles for the event, and the Humane Society hoped to raise $50,000, according to Dori Peck, Kootenai County Humane Society executive director.

“These events are critical for us,” Peck said. “It enables us to reach out to a demographic that normally wouldn't think about us.”

The event will conclude Saturday at noon, when KCHS will announce how much money was raised.

Ryan Mallerd, of Post Falls, is hoping to log an impressive physical feat of his own by biking for all 24 hours. He said that he had biked for up to 16 hours in the past, but never for a whole day.

“If I'm still here at midnight, I'll make it,” Peck said. “Probably won't be able to walk tomorrow, but I'll make it.”