A Fox Chase social worker will ride 100 miles on Sunday to aid individuals with lung cancer. Her ride will benefit the organization Ride Hard, Breathe Easy, which raises funds and awareness for lung cancer sufferers and their families.
Lisa Etkins is preparing for the marathon ride to support patients like as Foy Staley, who has stage 4 lung cancer.
“It’s quite the battle. “I would say that the thing that really affects me the most is breathing,” Staley stated.
The retired teacher admits she is also struggling financially.
“Cancer has derailed me in many ways,” Staley explained. Etkins receives concerns from numerous patients.
“Treatment, regrettably bills accumulate. “These costs can be astronomical at times,” Etkins remarked.
She sought assistance for patients through Ride Hard Breathe Easy, a charity organization.
“That supports patients for offsetting costs for groceries and utility bills and helping with transportation,” Staley said in a statement.
“They have been an invaluable resource for me. “Big help financially, helping me with gas cards and paying bills that I can’t afford right now because I’m going through so much,” Staley stated.
Etkins is raising money for Ride Hard Breathe Easy by participating in a unique Peloton endurance event called PeloFondo on Sunday, where she will ride 100 miles.
“It is exhausting, but I do it because I can. And I carry all of my patients on my shoulders and push them ahead, and I think about them and what they go through, so why not?” Etkins added.
For the past three years, she has participated in 100-mile charity rides with friends and family cheering her on.
Etkins estimated that it would take approximately six hours.
“It’s a long day, but we eat snacks along the way, and we take one break in the middle,” she told me.
She claims it’s a labor of love for individuals like Staley who require assistance.
Ride Hard Breathe Easy hosts a variety of events across the country. It was founded by a Montgomery County resident to memorialize his mother, who battled lung cancer.