Jeff pedals for heart health

By Melissa Meehan
JEFFREY Neilsen wants to be the fastest man in the world.
He is already the fastest man in Australia, on a bike, and is now in training to beat the world – all in the name of charity.
This Easter weekend Jeff will ride his Human Powered Vehicle for 24 hours in a world-record attempt and is hoping to raise $2500 for the Heart Foundation.
The 27-year-old Gembrook resident’s decision to raise the money comes from personal loss.
When he was just 16 years of age, Jeff lost his mum to heart disease.
“Its something that I can only really describe as unfair,” he said.
“I say unfair because up until the night she passed away I never thought there was anything wrong with my mother, in fact due to my father suffering from cancer she had been talking to me about the possibility of him passing away – not the other way around.”
On that fateful night in August 1998 his family went out to celebrate news that his father was cancer free – although it would be six months until he was officially in remission.
Later that night, Jeff’s father woke him, saying that his mum wasn’t feeling very well – that was the last thing he remembers before seeing his mother taken to the hospital where she passed away.
They soon found out that she had triple coronary disease, but had been ignoring all the warning signs.
“This is why I’m supporting the Heart Foundation because I don’t want to see other people go what I’ve been through,” he said.
“I want everyone to see me attempt this record in the hope that they might think ‘wow’ the human body is amazing and it can achieve so much and to think about what I am doing to stay fit and healthy.”
So far Jeff has raised $320 on his website www.pedalforheart.com.au and to make a donation visit the site and help support the Heart Foundation.