Stunning Long Island scenery can be seen while cycling to support a cause on Saturday, July 23 when Catholic Health, the Town of Oyster Bay, and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center present the 2nd annual Empire State Ride (ESR) Long Island fundraiser for cancer research, clinical trials, personalized care, and targeted therapies.
ESR Long Island benefits Catholic Health and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, whose collaboration allows Long Island cancer patients to access the newest clinical trials through the Roswell Park Care Network.
“That’s what this funds,” Catholic Health President and CEO Patrick O’Shaughnessy says. “It gets right to the research; it gets right to help funding trials and getting patients into them and that’s wat makes a difference overall, and survivorship.”
The fun-filled event kicks off and ends at Roosevelt Memorial Park in Oyster Bay. It will feature three different routes for varying ranges of rider ability, plus vendors, entertainment, food, and drinks.
Patients directly impacted by the funds raised will join the ride, including Zita Murano, who receives treatment at Good Samaritan Cancer Institute for stage four lung cancer. Her personal goal for participating in the event was to build up the strength to participate.
“I went from not being able to walk from the couch to the kitchen without getting out of breath to now I’m back to doing my spin classes and back to the gym and back to work,” Murano says.
Empire State Ride, a 500-plus-mile ride from New York City to Niagara Falls, was founded by Terry Bourgeois with the intention to expand regionally. Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino and other organizers look forward to showcasing the beauty of North Shore Long Island, including President Theodore Roosevelt’s home at Sagamore Hill, in addition to bringing the community together for a universal cause.
“We’ve all been touched by the tools of cancer in some way,” Bourgeois says. “By participating in and supporting this event together, we can make a difference.”
Research funds for treatments, along with an excitement-packed Saturday, are right around the corner. To register and find more information, visit esrlongisland.com
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