A Letter We'll Never Forget
Most of what arrives in our mailbox is invoices and packages. A few weeks ago, a handwritten letter arrived from a rider's mom. Everyone at GDM has read it more than once, and we wanted to share it with you.
A note on privacy: to protect the family, we've redacted personal information from this letter, including her last name, dates, her son's age, where they live and the details of his injuries. In the photos, redacted details are covered with black bars. In the text, they're marked [redacted]. Everything else is in her own words.
Marie's letter
Marie's handwritten letter to GDM. Personal information has been redacted to protect the family's privacy.
Here's what she wrote:
To the GDM team:
I hope this letter finds [you] and your team doing extremely well. The reason for this letter is to inform you of your product and how your helmet saved my son's life.
My [redacted] son was in a serious motorcycle accident [redacted]. I understand my son saved his own life by wearing his helmet but it's the helmet that also saved his life, as well. [redacted] I have held this helmet in my hands and have looked this helmet over. I have cried holding his helmet. Without this type of helmet my son would not be here today. I am truly thankful that your team has been knowledgeable about the safety of your product. I'm just a mama [redacted] who is very thankful my son wore a helmet and chose your helmet. Thank you to all of you at GDM. I will forever be grateful for your product. Keep up the great work.
P.S. My son will finally be able to go home from the hospital [redacted].
Thanks again,
Marie K.
What this letter means to us
Marie, thank you. We're so glad your son is home.
We design helmets hoping they'll spend their whole life on a shelf and on easy Sunday rides. A letter like this is a reminder of the day a helmet has to do its one real job, and of the families waiting at home for every rider. Marie said it best: her son saved his own life by putting his helmet on. That choice, on every ride, matters more than anything we can build.
Marie, if you see this, we'd love to hear from you.
Ride safe: what we hope every rider takes from this
Every crash is different, and no helmet can prevent every injury. What you can control is wearing the right helmet, every time:
- Wear a DOT certified helmet on every ride, even short ones. Make sure it's the real thing: here's how to spot a fake DOT helmet.
- Make sure it fits. A loose helmet can shift in a crash. Measure your head and check the size chart.
- Fasten the chin strap snugly on every ride.
- Replace your helmet after any crash, even if it looks fine. The foam liner that absorbs the impact is designed to work once. See how long a motorcycle helmet lasts.
The numbers back this up. Read our motorcycle helmet statistics.
Share your story
If a helmet was with you on a day you'll never forget, we'd love to hear from you. Contact our team.
