Benefit ride planned for little girl and her family

Little Abby Hilbert will benefit from a motorcycle rally this Saturday.

CLOVERDALE -- From the moment she was born, little Abby Hilbert's life hasn't been easy.

Abby was born on July 30, 2006. Although they went undetected for some time, she had been having seizures well before being diagnosed with Dravet's syndrome.

"She didn't really start having problems until last February," said Abby's mother, Brittonie Buis of Cloverdale. "Then last September we got the nasty phone call from her neurologist."

Dravet's is marked by severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy. The condition can lead to psychomotor retardation and progressive neurological deficits.

To help Abby and her family, a benefit motorcycle rally -- dubbed Abby's Ride -- will take place on Saturday.

Greencastle Custom Cycle is assisting Brittonie with Abby's Ride. The trek will begin at the shop on 200N and will end up at the Greencastle Moose Lodge after a 100-mile ride.

Lisa and Scott Eaton, owners of Greencastle Custom Cycle, organize a benefit ride for a local child or young adult each year.

"This is our eighth wonderful year of doing this," Lisa said.

Serving those in need is something the Eatons feel is important.

"We want to help people who have been hit with something that had just about broken the family and exhausted all other resources," Scott said.

Abby is going to Chicago for treatments. The money raised from the ride will go toward travel expenses for her and her family, Lisa said.

Registration for the ride will begin at 11 a.m. Cost is $20 per bike, and bikes will leave Greencastle Custom Cycle at noon.

A bike show will take place at the Moose Lodge from 5 to 6 p.m., with awards at 6:30 p.m.

At 5:30 p.m. the band F5 will play, followed by The IDs at 8 p.m.

There will also be a dessert auction and raffles.

Local riders are always happy to participate in Greencastle Custom Cycle's benefit rides.

"Our riders are so wonderful," Lisa said. "We just appreciate them so much. All day today people have wanted to know 'When? When? When? So they could come."

Although Abby has been late in hitting some of her developmental milestones, she is still a little girl with "a lot of personality," her mother said.

"She just started walking, but she can't talk much yet," she said.

Brittonie and Abby's father, Adrein Hilbert, also have a three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Bridgett.