PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — In a loving tribute to his grandmother who lost her battle with lung cancer and to raise money and awareness for those still fighting, a Philadelphia man has embarked on a 3,600-mile bike ride from California to Ocean City, New Jersey.
Twenty-year-old Jack Owens began his journey on May 20, riding his bicycle from San Francisco to Ocean City. The latter is where he spent many summers with his grandmother, who he said was a kind and loving person.
“What really stands out is how well she could unite the family,” said Owens. “She always had a saying that we say all the time: ‘Many hands make light work,’ and you see it on the daily where I've had so much support throughout this journey.”
Owens doesn’t ride alone, and said there is always someone with him along his journey. He’s made stops at the University of Notre Dame, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, and will also visit Jefferson Health and Fox Chase Cancer Center all to raise money and promote awareness about lung cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the second most common cancer and is by far the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. Owens is raising $100,000 for the nonprofit Ride Hard Breath Easy, which was founded by his uncle John Mathews and who also made the cross-country trek in 2017. The organization supports lung cancer patients and caregivers and Owens said he wanted to increase his involvement with the organization.
“I really get to see how impactful the money raised is for people's lives. If they have lung cancer, it really makes a huge difference, and I wanted to do what I could to help out with that battle,” he said.
Owens’ journey will be complete on July 6 after 47 days on the road. He made stops in the Philly area before fishing up in Ocean City to take that walk to 34th Street beach — just like he did when he was little, holding his grandmother’s hand.
“Just making that walk to that beach with her and my grandpa and my family members, it makes me emotional almost thinking about it, because it's some of the most nostalgic and heartwarming memories of my entire life,” said Owens.
Learn more about Owens’ journey at rhbe.org.