Just over a year after receiving a double-lung transplant, a COVID-19 survivor is cycling 38-miles to raise funds for the nonprofit where he found support after his surgery.
Rick Bressler, Lock Haven, contracted the COVID-19 virus in March 2021, four days before he was scheduled to receive the vaccine. He was soon hospitalized and placed on a ventilator.
He was diagnosed with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a serious lung condition that causes low blood oxygen. In May 2021 Bressler received a double lung transplant, which saved his life.
Bressler now is a board member of the ARDS Alliance, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting and furthering charitable, education and scientific opportunities for the advancement of awareness, research, and to improve the quality of life for all those affected by ARDS.
On Saturday, Aug. 6, Bressler will participate in Miles for Marybeth, which is the organization’s first official fundraiser. The ride will begin at 7 a.m. at Triangle Park in Lock Haven.
Bressler, along with the ARDS Alliance’s President Paula Monaghen-Blonski, whose sister Marybeth died of ARDS at age 36, will be bicycling 38 miles in Lock Haven to raise funds for the organization to help accomplish its mission.
“We encourage people to participate, or even just sit out and cheer riders along anywhere along the course,” Bressler said. “We have raised almost $5,000 already, we have a goal of $20,000.”
To donate or learn more about the ride, visit https://milesformarybeth.org.
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