Ride Hard Breathe Easy
Fund-raising - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Ride Hard Breathe Easy Employees
Ride Hard Breathe Easy Details
The Ride Hard Breathe Easy mission is to "End the stigma and suffering for lung cancer patients and caregivers, in memory of Kathleen Matthews".In 2011, Kathleen Matthews died of lung cancer after being diagnosed nine months earlier. She had a loving husband of 51 years, six wonderful children (her words) and 19 grandchildren that made her smile every day. During her illness, her family learned all too well the realities of lung cancer – the pain, the suffering, the prognosis, and the stigma. When Kathleen was sick, her son, John, promised his Mom he would do something to fight lung cancer.To date, we have raised over $175,000 towards John Matthews' goal to raise $1,000,000 to fight this terrible disease during his lifetime. The money raised goes to The Bonnie J Addario Lung Cancer Foundation and Lung Cancer Alliance, two four-star Charity Navigator organizations who are dedicated to helping all lung cancer patients and working for better outcomes.John and "Kathleen's Krew" began their mission at the first Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation 5K in Philadelphia in October 2011. And in 2017, John upped his game and rode his bike from SAP just outside of Philadelphia to The Golden Gate Bridge. There was a team of 100 people who helped plan this journey, and everyone learned that, as Kathleen said many time, "Many Hands Make Light Work". Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer in the world, of men and women, and has a five-year survival rate of under 19%. More awareness and funding is needed, so The Ride Hard breathe Easy Team will ride every year until we hit that goal of $1 Million dollars. In 2018, there will be another ride starting on August 23, and SAP employees and technology will make this ride a success. This journey will be 2,600 miles, take five weeks and go through PA, NJ, NY, CT, RI, MA, OH, IN, KY, NC, VA and finish in Washington, DC. And anyone can join either on the outdoor ride or during the "Ride Around the World" in November. Please contact us if you want to join John, and Ride Hard, so those affected by lung cancer, can Breathe Easy!
