ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A Minnesota man made a stop in St. Augustine while biking across the country to raise money for breast cancer research.
Al Reszel is on a 5,000-mile journey. It’s his fifth time on a mission like this.
“Going through chemotherapy, radiation, breast cancer, that is hard work,” Reszel said. “This is just riding a bike.”
The ride is a personal one. Al’s wife, Terry, was diagnosed with breast cancer 11 years ago. She is celebrating being cancer-free, but the fight was not easy.
“It was very rough,” Terry said. “I had Al to help me with everything because there was a lot. [There was an] emotional aspect, too. It was really difficult day and we do not want people to have to go through that.”
“It affects the immediate families, the extended families, friends,” Al said. “It is hard on everybody.”
According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, 1 out of 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
Al started this bike ride in early March in San Diego.
Some of his stops included Arizona, Gila National Forest in New Mexico, pit stops in Austin, Texas and Louisiana.
He arrived in St. Augustine Sunday morning.
Al’s final stop will be the Breast Cancer Research Center in New York City possibly by April 29.
His goal is to rake in $20,000 to go toward breast cancer research.
“We meet a lot of survivors and it’s ‘hooray for us’ because there are other stories too,” Terry said.
“As long as we can keep writing and maybe aspire a couple of people to continue and work through their fights,” Al said.
That would make his effort worth every minute and mile.
How to donate: Facebook.com/PinkPedals4ACure