Ride Hard Breathe Easy Cycling Event Supports Lung Cancer Patients (9.2.22)

The 6th Annual RRRRRide Hard Breathe Easy Classic — a charity bike ride to raise awareness and funds for lung cancer — is coming to Duke Cancer Institute on September 2.

Riders are invited to join Team DCI for:

• A 26-mile out-and-back route with a turnaround at the Horton Grove Nature Preserve in Bahama, NC, (route details, TBA) on Friday, Sept. 2 at noon, with a special send-off by DCI surgical oncologist and a lung cancer surgeon Betty Tong, MD, outside the Tropical Smoothie Cafe at Duke Cancer Center at 11:30a.
• A virtual group ride on Peloton or Zwift on Saturday, August 27, and/or
• A when-you-want and where-you-want ride

OR cyclists can choose to embark on a 600+ mile riding adventure from Duke Cancer Institute to Fox Chase Cancer Center, Sept. 2 to Sept. 9. (“Seats” are limited on the DCI-to-Fox Chase route. Those interested in that option, should email info@rhbe.org)

John Matthews started the Ride Hard Breathe Easy nonprofit as a promise to his mother, Kathleen Matthews, who died of lung cancer in 2011. To date, Ride Hard Breathe Easy has raised more than $600,000 to support lung cancer patients and their caregivers at the charity’s partner hospitals: Duke Cancer Institute, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Lung Center, Einstein Medical Center, Lung Health Services, and Crozer Health. 

Funds raised by Team DCI cyclists will support the Duke Lung Screening Program Patient Support Fund (see below), administered by the Duke Supportive Care & Survivorship Center at DCI.

Registration is now open The joining fee is $50.

Join Team DCI today!

The Duke Lung Screening Program Patient Support Fund, made possible by Ride Hard Breathe Easy (RHBE), will break down barriers to lung screening by providing financial assistance to ensure that all have access to this critical service.

The USPSTF 2021 recommendation for annual screening for the early detection of lung cancer for those who meet the following criteria:

• Adults aged 50 to 80 years
• *who have a ≥20 pack-year smoking history;
• and who currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years

Any patients meeting this inclusion criteria and facing out-of-pocket costs associated with the Duke Lung Screening program will be offered financial support via this fund for up to 100% of the remainder of their bill, based on Duke’s financial assistance sliding scale. These funds will not be applied to patient co-pays; co-pays will remain the responsibility of the patient.

These funds will be strictly used and applied to any hospital or professional fees for Lung Screening-associated out-of-pocket expenses incurred to the patient.

*A “pack year” is smoking an average of 1 pack of cigarettes per day
for 1 year. A person could have a 20-pack-year history by smoking 1 pack a day for 20 years or 2 packs a day for 10 years