BY ANDY TAYLOR
Montgomery County Chronicle

A member of the Topeka Police Department made an overnight stop in the Caney area Tuesday evening.

And, the officer’s job wasn’t to catch the bad guys.

Instead, officer Jayme Green was traveling through the community for a good cause: to raise awareness — and money — for his second cousin, little Granton Bayless.

Bayless is the 8-month-old son of Daniel and Jenni Bayless of Bolivar, Mo. Daniel is a native of Havana and a graduate of Caney Valley High School. The Bayless baby has been diagnosed with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID.) SCID is a rare genetic disorder in which the immune system fails to develop. On Tuesday, June 10, the baby underwent a delicate umbilical cord blood transplant surgery at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., where doctors are hopeful that new blood cells will be engrafted into the baby’s system to defeat harmful cells.

“From what the family has been telling me, the transplant surgery went well, and little Granton is showing improvement,” said Green, who is a first cousin to Jenni Bayless. “It’s still a long road, and doctors have a 14-day window to see how the umbilical cord blood transplant is being accepted. Right now, we’re just hoping and praying for his continued recovery.”

Green began his bicycle journey — estimated at 330 total miles — on Monday, departing from Topeka and staying overnight in Burlington. On Tuesday, Green made the 98-mile trek from Burlington to Caney, where he met several family and friends of the Bayless family. He spent the night in the home of Dennis and Debbie Bayless in rural Havana. Dennis and Debbie Bayless are the grandparents of little Granton.

On Wednesday, Green pedaled to Pittsburg, Kan., and will finish his trek at Stockton Lake in Missouri.

The bicycle Green is using on his trip was donated by Sunshine Bike Shop in Springfield, Mo. At the conclusion of Green’s trip, the specially-designed, high-performance bicycle will be raffled off with all proceeds going to the Bayless family, Green said.

Green said persons wishing to contribute money to the Granton Bayless Benefit Ride may do so by going to Green’s website and blog: http://rideforgranton.blogspot.com. Information on the blog will show where money can be sent to benefit the Bayless family.

Otherwise, checks can be sent to the Granton Bayless Benefit Ride, Bank of Bolivar, PO Box 560, Bolivar, MO 65613, Attn: Debbie Keith. For questions about the account or your pledges, contact Debbie Keith at the Bank of Bolivar at (417) 777-6500.
Green is no stranger to the world of bicycling. He is a member of the bike unit in the Topeka Police Department, where his police vehicle stands on two wheels.

“This is what I use each day at work,” he said, pointing to the bicycle.

Accompanying Green on his journey is his brother, Toby, who is traveling in a lead vehicle.

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