Man From California Plans to Bike 365 Miles to Las Vegas in Less Than 24 Hours to Raise Money for Breast Cancer

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| April 22, 2016 | By Margo Gothelf

This dedicated cyclist from Southern California is gearing up for the ride of his life.

Andy Funk, founder of Pink Lotus Foundation, is prepping for the ultimate bike ride to raise money for breast cancer for the uninsured. Funk plans to ride his bike 365 miles in less than 24 hours from L.A. to Las Vegas hoping to raise funds to provide “100 percent free breast cancer care to low income, uninsured and underinsured women,” shared People. Funk is calling the project, Vegas In 24.

Funk got the idea for the project when his wife, Dr. Kristi Funk, who is a board-certified surgical breast specialist, began “witnessing first-hand so many underserved women who are uninsured, whose health plans don’t cover the procedures they need, or low-income women who cannot get Medi-Cal coverage quickly enough and end up with stage 4 breast cancer.” Funk’s wife is also known for the double mastectomy surgery she performed on Angeline Jolie.

“We felt it was time to create a nonprofit that let everyone else focus on the cure, while we focus exclusively on women who need help today, not in 25, 50 or 100 years,” Funk explained.

.@vegasin24 @andyfunk ready to ride 365 miles (gasp!) to help women with #breastcancer! He's amazing?????? pic.twitter.com/jnE4wACD9P

— Sandra Mitchell (@CBSLAsandra) April 21, 2016

Funk has experience with long bike rides having previously completed a 200-mile ride and Ironman triathlon. This ride will definitely be a challenge, but nothing compared to what these patient are experiencing.

“Breast cancer patients go through a ton of emotional and physical pain and stress,” he told People about his choice to complete the ride unassisted. “Patients going through chemo get stripped of all of their strength and are near mental exhaustion, and they often feel helpless and lonely on their difficult path, not knowing if they will arrive safely on the other side, not knowing what additional obstacles they will face now that they have cancer.”

Funk plans to start his ride in the lower-income areas of Los Angeles, where he hopes to make a big impact.

“When I chose the route for Vegas, I decided I was going to ride through the southern part of L.A. during the night portion of my ride, going straight through Compton and by the Nickerson Garden projects.”

The cyclist hopes to raise awareness for his project and make a big impact with others no matter what income they hold.

“For the last eight years, we have seen tens of thousands of patients at our breast cancer center, from the low-income all the way up to Angelina Jolie,” he shared. “Our goal has always been to serve patients from all walks of life.”

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