Group bikes 1,200 miles to raise awareness for blood cancers, recruit life-saving donations
"My main reason why is to show hope for patients going through the process," said Elle Crofton.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Elle Crofton, a Philadelphia teacher, just finished up a special bike ride along the East Coast.
She travelled nearly 1,200 miles with a bike team dedicated to one thing: to raise awareness and recruit donors for life threatening blood cancers and diseases, like leukemia and lymphoma.
"You kind of get used to it. You start riding and it's not that bad," Crofton said.
From Buffalo, New York, to Lake Placid, to Boston, to finishing at University of Pennsylvania's campus in Philadelphia on Tuesday, she said the cause is personal for her.
She had a bone marrow transplant 7 years ago that saved her life through a Be The Match donor. She says her 26-day journey puts things in perspective.
"My main reason why is to show hope for patients going through the process. The road is rough while going through the process. Kind of like how we got through this bike ride, there are hills and valleys and you just got to keep positive," Crofton said.
Gabriel Morales of Be The Match says there is a need for more ethnically diverse donations. While Caucasians have a 79% chance of finding a donor match, African Americans only have a 29% of finding a match and Hispanic patients have a 49% chance.
To donate through Be The Match, you can Text TEAMJERICHO to 61474.
