TYLER, Texas — Rex Covington drove into East Texas Tuesday on a special mission Wednesday.
"You think a lot when you're out on the road on the motorcycle," Rex Covington said.
Covington is known as the "Lone Star Rider."
It is a name the motorcycle enthusiast has gone by for years. However, both the name and why he rides his motorcycle have more meaning.
"For the last 14 months, I've been riding around the United States raising awareness and money for the cure to diabetes," Covington explained.
More than 30 million Americans have diabetes and 84 million Americans have pre-diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. The disease costs this country $327 billion each year.
Covington started on what was intended to be a one-year journey on June 21, 2018.
"I had this dream that I was doing what I'm doing now, riding around the country," Covington said. "The dream was really vivid, because I was handing this big symbolic check to the American Diabetes Association for $90,000."
After speaking with friends about the dream, he was encouraged to reach that goal in real life.
He has put several miles on his bike from the East Coast to Arizona.
"What determines my stops and where I go are rallies, festivals and events and where the American Diabetes Association suggests I go to,” Covington said.
After one year on the road, Covington made it back home to Texas, but decided to extend his mission until he'd reached his monetary goal.
"I've learned that a lot of people have problems with diabetes and it's a struggle every day for them," Covington said. "What I want done with this trip and the money that I make is that I want it to go into research. I want them to cure diabetes. I want them to eliminate it."
Covington's passion is driven by the love he has for his son Chris. In 2003, Chris was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
"He was the type of guy that was running marathons and playing soccer every weekend, and we didn't understand why he got type one diabetes," Covington said.
Covington saw his son deal with the disease for nearly ten years. Then, in 2015, Chris died after a car crash after he blacked out due to diabetes complications.
"I have his ashes with me and I do spread his ashes everywhere I go," Covingon said. "So he's literally riding with me on this trip."
Chris was 37 years old when he passed. He shared a love for motorcycles with his father.
"I think he would have actually loved riding with me on this mission, because he rode motorcycles and we've been on motorcycle trips," Covington said. "We even went to Germany and rode motorcycles for three weeks, and that was just a blast."
For this ride, though Chris is with his father in spirit, Covington says he'll continue traveling across the country, raising awareness for diabetes until he's fulfilled his dream.
"I've raised a little under $8,000 so far, and yes, I have a long way to go."
To donate to Covington's campaign or to become a sponsor, read more about the Lone Star Rider on his website.