Locals ask, 'what in the world?'

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Locals ask, 'what in the world?'

Posted: Thursday, Jun 04, 2009 - 09:41:00 pm EDT

By TRAVIS NEFF

travisn@pdclarion.com

WINSLOW — Popular belief leads people to think the mythological Titan Atlas was forced to hold the earth on his shoulders as punishment following a war against the pantheon of the Greek gods. Atlas, in fact, was compelled to hold up the heavens.

A Louisville, Ky., man has chosen to push a large globe through much of the country to raise awareness of a serious disease.

Erik Bendl, 47, will be passing through Gibson County today as he and his dog “Nice” travel from Louisville to Kansas City in an effort to motivate people to prevent diabetes.

Bendl’s mother, Gerta Bendl, who served as a Kentucky state legislator, died from complications of diabetes in 1987. And her brother, who is 82, is living with the disease.

“And I’ve been carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders ever since,” Bendl muses.

Bendl is accepting donations from people he meets along the way, sending money orders to the American Diabetes Association. He has a website, www.worldguy.org, a Facebook page, and uses a Blackberry to update his blog.

The man with the globe did not develop a desire to serve others overnight. His mother was, according to the University of Louisville website, “known for her outspoken humanitarianism.”

The 80-pound globe is made from the same material used to make waterbeds. Bendl carries an air pump and a repair patch kit with him in case the mini-earth gets a little banged up.

Bendl, who walks with the globe as a form of exercise, said he is in good health, despite his 280-pound weight. “You can still be fat and be fit,” he said.