Stroke Survivor Biking to Baseball Hall of Fame To Help Preserve Babe Ruth's Baltimore Legacy

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- More than 7 million people in America have survived having a stroke.

Now, as WJZ's Mike Schuh reports, one of those survivors is overcoming his troubles by trying to cement Babe Ruth's legacy here in Baltimore.

Chris Conlon has led an interesting life.

As an electrical engineer, he spent time as a contractor in Iraq. He's worked as an actor on "The Wire," "Parks and Recreation," "Veep" and "House of Cards."

But since all that, his life has changed quite a bit.

Conlon had a stroke in December 2012, and while he's recovering well, the part of his brain that forms speech has died, a condition called aphasia.

He still has enough balance and strength to run and ride a bike, however, and he's using those abilities to pour his energy into a cause that's very close to his heart.

Conlon plans to bike with a friend from Babe Ruth's birthplace, which is right down the street from his house in Ridgely's Delight, to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in order to raise awareness of his idea to turn the Baltimore field where The Great Bambino first played organized ball into a National Park.

In two weeks, they'll leave on their journey, which is more than 300 miles long.

Next up, Conlon will attempt an IRONMAN triatholon to raise money to combat aphasia.

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