Joshua's Story: Biking Lifted Me Out of Depression

City of San JoseConnecting Our Communi...Vision Zero

Mar 26

"I love biking because it, literally, keeps me moving. I could very easily fall back into depression and into the dark moments of my life. Biking helps force me to be out in the world. It helps me keep moving forward through all of life’s ups and downs." - Joshua Bacani, Resident at Fourth Street Apartments, San Jose, CA

As a child, Joshua was diagnosed with epilepsy which resulted in sudden seizures. His disability may have prevented from many activities, but he loved biking as a child and teen. Fast forward to adulthood and Josh had not ridden his bike in years stemming from his anxiety and depression. As a way to keep himself occupied, he started biking again. Joshua attended Pedal2Health’s at Fourth Street Apartments earlier this month and felt motivated seeing his neighbors out, eager to learn more about safe biking. He joined our workshop, offered his bike mechanics expertise and lead the neighborhood ride. Joshua remains committed to biking in his community and has offered his bike mechanics skills at upcoming Pedal2Health events!In partnership with El Camino Hospital Community Benefit Program, Pedal2Health is working to improve public health through bicycling. Why? Biking has the potential to address many of our community’s problems while enriching lives with health, environmental, economic, transportation, and social benefits.The Pedal2Health program aims to create healthy and safe communities through bike safety education classes and bike rides for residents of low-income housing communities located in and around Vision Zero safety corridors. The program encompasses several goals:

Create lasting bike riding habits that lead to improved health for low-income families and individuals
Reduce bicycling crashes and injuries by increasing safe bicycle riding practices
Build relationships and trust between residents and police officers that lead to the improved safety of residents within Vision Zero corridors. Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.

Biking - what a powerful tool that improves social connections and can help transform an entire community. Through a series of workforce programs with HOPE Services and Good Karma Bikes, Joshua returned to his love for biking and learned skills necessary to become a bike mechanic. Joshua is a proud bike commuter and works full-time at HOPE Services’ bike program, Cycles of HOPE. Thanks for being an inspiration and leader in the community, Joshua!