Lung cancer focused nonprofit Ride Hard Breathe Easy recently awarded Fox Chase Cancer Center $50,000 for a new program titled “Lung Cancer in Never-Smokers: An Initiative to Raise Community Awareness and Establish a Novel Risk Registry.”
That amount brings the Cheltenham-based nonprofit’s total to over $750,000 in donations to lung cancer patients at hospitals, including Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Lung Center, Crozer Health, Jefferson Health, and Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center. Nationally, it has also given to Dartmouth Cancer Center in New Hampshire and Duke Cancer Institute in North Carolina. RHBE focuses on raising funds by hosting long distance bike rides that go directly to supporting patients undergoing treatment.
“We’re always looking to let people know that these funds are out there when folks need them the most,” said Ride Hard Breathe Easy founder John Matthews. “We pay for needs like transportation to appointments, groceries, utility bills or even rent.”
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and according to the American Lung Association’s annual “State of Lung Cancer” study, Pennsylvania’s rate of newly diagnosed lung cancer cases is 60 per 100,000, which is higher than the national rate of 54.6 per 100,000. Lung cancer is the leading cause of more deaths than prostate, breast and colon cancers combined.
“Early detection is key with this disease,” said Matthews who lost his mother to lung cancer. Matthews started RHBE in her honor, with a goal to raising one million dollars for lung cancer in his lifetime. Since 2017, RHBE has raised over $750,000 for hospitals in Pennsylvanai, New Hampshire and North Carolina. The nonprofit annually hosts an online Peloton ride in April with riders from around the country, a golf outing in June, and a 425-mile bike ride in September. For more information on Ride Hard Breathe Easy, visit:rhbe.org.
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