LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Bikers revved their engines to show support for another biker in Lexington who battles severe dementia, and his family shares how they chose to honor him.
Tina Portwood is one of 13 siblings in the Otis family. With eight sisters and five brothers, she says the family has always been a tight-knit group.
"We're always together… even after our mom passed away, we still make an effort to see one another or call one another." said Portwood. "Denny is like 14 years older than me, but later on you know. Me and Denny become very close after our mother passed away."
So close, Denny Otis, 81, would even join Tina and her kids for dinner almost every night. The two would take many trips to Florida or New York together. They even went running together as a pastime.
"He was a real calm, gentle person. You know, everybody liked him. You know, maybe a little quite but he start no trouble and if there was any trouble we handled it ourselves," explains Joseph Otis, Denny's younger brother.
Denny lived a very full life, raising a son who now resides in Maine. He spent a year serving in the Vietnam War as a U.S. soldier alongside his brother, Joseph, who enlisted at 17 years old. Denny also helped manage horses at Keeneland and was one of the many hands that put up guide signs on highways.
But for the last 10 years, Portwood has been tasked with a difficult job. Being a beacon of support and caretaker for Denny while he battles severe dementia. "I've been taking care of him because he can't take care of himself."
Alongside her brother, Portwood also takes care of her son who has been in a coma for 12 years from a brain injury.
Portwood remembers one of the first times he started showing signs of dementia. "He kept repeating himself. 'I thought I went home. I backed up into the driveway. I was at the wrong house. I was on the wrong street'," she said. "And you know, he just started forgetting stuff."
"He's lost a lot of his personality and things that he really could do. But I mean he's still a real gentle person. He gets a long, he don't really try to cause no trouble and he would still try to help you if he could," Joseph Otis explains with tears in his eyes.
Over the years, Denny's condition has worsened. Portwood says doctors told her Denny doesn't have a lot of time left. Within the last 24 hours, the family jumped into action and set up a 'Ride your motorcycle for Denny' event. Dozens of motorcyclists gathered at Harley Davidson on Man-O-War in Lexington and rode to Portwood's home where Denny sat. "That's one thing he remembers. He'll say 'do I have a Harley?' and I'll say 'yeah but it's not running right now.'"
Denny bought a 1973 Harley motorcycle and rode it right into his 70's. The shiny, black bike is still in pristine condition as it sat on display as the other bikes revved past him, in a show of support and a final goodbye.
"I told him, I said 'you know you're pretty bad off and stuff.' and he said 'yeah' and I said, 'what do you want me to do?' and he said 'I'm ready to go,'" Portwood recalls the moment she told Denny what doctors told her. "I'm not ready for him to go. I'm just not ready. He's my big brother, I love him to death."
Portwood says the family will continue to support and love him until Denny decides it's his time to move on.
