LIVE LIKE AIDYN

by Jamey “Photoman” Perdue

It was a sunny afternoon at the races. As I stood on the side of the trail watching bikes pass I saw a group of guys approach. I couldn’t help but notice the tall kid walking in the back of the pack with a big smile on his face wearing a Hawaiian shirt. This was the first time I remember running into Aidyn Walsh at the races. This was your average South Florida kid that loved the beach, boats and of course….dirt bikes. Aidyn had three uncles that always encouraged his love of two wheels. Uncle Jim bought him his first bike and it wasn’t long before he was off to the races. Uncle James and Uncle Ross always took time to make sure their long lanky nephew got the seat time he needed to improve his skills on the bike. This family had been in FTR racing for years. Also a major part of his life was his good friend Landon Hershey. He also raced in the FTR series. The two did everything together, almost like brothers. The weekends at the races were always fun surrounded by family and fellow riders.

On October 22, 2021 the two friends planned a trip. They spent their time at an event on a four-wheeler cruising from one camp to the next. As they were making the rounds tragedy struck. Both boys were thrown from the machine and seriously injured. Landon’s injuries required surgery and an extended stay in the ICU. Aidyn arrived at the hospital via helicopter and had no pulse upon arrival. Later that night his heart stopped on three different occasions. It was looking like a worst case scenario. The doctors performed several tests and concluded there was no brain function. A few years earlier Aidyn’s dad Joey had discussed being a donor with him as he was getting his drivers license. Aidyn’s choice was to check yes and be a donor. The path from here was clear for the family.

The family pushed his bed down a hall lined with hospital staff to an operating room where they said their final goodbyes. Aidyn successfully donated his heart, kidneys and lungs. In the act of passing, he saved three separate lives.

After several months the family started to make plans. They wanted to return to the races and honor the many memories they had with him. Uncle James said before leaving the hospital that he was going to ride Aidyn’s bike in a race. February 5th and 6th, 2022 FTR visited Indiantown. This place had long been a favorite venue of Aidyn. His mom Heather and best friend Landon returned to the races for the first time since the accident. Friends and family from home and FTR surrounded them. There were lots of laughs and tears shared. Aidyn had a grandfather that he would fly with every year to a big air show in Wisconsin. They would always wear Hawaiian shirts claiming it made them go faster. He had carried this tradition with him to FTR as well. So for this weekend all the riders out of their camp wore Hawaiian shirts. Just before Uncle James put that shirt on and rode Aidyn’s bike, a large group of people gathered in their pits. They all lined up to spell out “LLA’’ so he could see it from the heavens. “Live Like Aidyn”, a slogan the family has taken on since his passing. Aidyn Walsh, he was a rider, a son and a best friend. While he no longer physically walks with us he will forever hold a very special place in our hearts.