Greyson Walker of Hallam spent the first seven months of his life in hospitals after being born two months premature. A benefit ride Saturday will help raise money for the family to cover medical and other expenses. (Submitted photo)

Greyson Walker turned 1 earlier this year, a few months earlier than expected.

The Hallam boy was born via an emergency c-section about two months premature last year after doctors discovered he showed signs of infection.

Greyson was born septic and with pneumonia, forcing him to spend the first seven months of his life in various hospitals across the state.

On Saturday, an annual benefit ride will raise money to help his parents, Shane and Lindsey Walker, cover medical and other bills.

"It's actually overwhelming for my husband and I," Lindsey Walker said of the support they've received.

Greyson suffers from bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a lung condition, and tracheomalacia, which affects the windpipe, but both diseases are expected to resolve themselves over time. He is fed through a feeding tube and is

connected to oxygen 24 hours a day, Lindsey Walker said.

Nonetheless, he's still a happy infant who will turn 14 months on Friday, she said.

The ride: The sixth annual Ed Krepps Benefit Ride is named for Lower Windsor Township resident Edward A. Krepps, who died in a vehicle collision in Lancaster County in 2006. He was 48.

"It's quite a tribute to him. He was always ready to help someone else," said Krepps' father, Edward J. Krepps of Hallam.

Ride participants will take off at 1 p.m. from the Tourist Inn in Hellam Township and make stops at various establishments throughout the county before returning to the inn.

A band will perform, food will be provided and door prizes will be drawn at the end of the ride. A number of items will be up for grabs during a silent auction, the elder Krepps said.

Since the event's inception, Krepps said, it has grown with each year.

Last year, 118 people took part in a ride that benefited Cody Dietz, who, at 17, suffered a stroke in 2008.

Krepps said it's good to see his son's memory kept alive by an event that benefits others.

"It's a day for my wife and I to reflect on him and the kind of man he was," Krepps said.

-- Reach Greg Gross ggross@yorkdispatch.com.

To join the benefit ride

The sixth annual Ed Krepps Benefit Ride will be held Saturday, starting at Tourist Inn, 671 W. Market St. in Hellam Township.

Registration, which is $15 per person or $25 per couple, begins at 11 a.m., with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. Participants will receive a patch, while supplies last, and there will be entertainment, food and door prizes.

The event will be held rain or shine and is open to those 21 and older.

For more information, visit www.edkreppsride.com.