By Ben A. Neiburger, Attorney, Generation Law

A Cross Country Race for Lung Health

In 2025, I will combine my passion for crazy endurance events and helping people by joining “Team Breathe America” to help raise $200,000 for the American Lung Association while completing one of the hardest endurance events in the world, the Race Across America.

The Race Across America (RAAM) is a world famous 3000-mile road cycling race starting in San Diego and ending in Atlantic City.  Last year, one of my friends, Philip Hammer, asked me to contribute to Team Breath America for RAAM in 2024. I did. Two hours before the Team approached the starting line in June 2024, COVID took them down, and they never started the race. Despite the irony of being derailed by a major respiratory disease in their campaign to raise awareness of lung health, they delivered over $240,000 to the American Lung Association (ALA).

Despite (something) in the road, they are trying again in 2025. The team was short of their full 2025 compliment, so I volunteered to take one of the empty cyclist slots. In addition, my son Levi, his girlfriend Katie, and my nephew Sammy (all of them schoolteachers) agreed to be part of the 20 crew members for the Team. We are now hard at work training, planning, and, of course, fundraising.

Team Breathe America will be at the starting line on June 14, 2025, ready to go.

How Does the Team Work?

The Team divides the eight cyclists into two groups of four. Each group will have an eight to 14-hour shift. During the shift, each cyclist will take a turn riding alone, hard, for 20 minutes. So, there is only one cyclist on the road at a time. After a cyclist completes his 20-minute turn, the other three will take their 20-minute turns. After the one-hour rest, the first cyclist will go out for his 20 minutes again. We repeat this pattern for one entire shift and then the other group takes the next shift. We will do this for more than a week, straight.

Why Lung Health Matters to Me

Lung diseases transformed my life. It started as a young college graduate watching my grandmother die from lung cancer, it followed by the next 30 years watching my spouse’s struggles with asthma compounded in the last several years by long-COVID, and seeing clients in my Elder Law practice who suffer from COPD and can no longer fully interact with life and family in a way that protects their dignity. This has ignited a passion within me to make a difference. I’ve witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of these diseases, and I’m determined to help.

The Difference that the American Lung Association Makes

By donating to Team Breathe America, you’re helping the American Lung Association

  • Send more than $25 million towards groundbreaking research through the American Lung Association Research Institute
  • Support policies and legislation that can lead to better lung health across the nation.
    • Laws to protect children from deadly air pollution and tobacco products,
    • Support funding for critical lung disease research and health programs at the federal level, and
    • Provide affordable quality healthcare for more people.
  • Support public health infrastructure funding research for lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, tuberculosis and other lung diseases.
  • Establish online support community for those facing long-Covid symptoms and their loved ones.
  • In 2023, they launched the American Lung Association patient & caregiver network providing work, education and access to research for the 34 million people nationwide living with lung disease.

Will you help?  We appreciate anything you can give!

I’ve already made what is, for me, a big gift. And I’m back on the bike, training hard.  Remember all contributions are tax-deductible. Click here or the button below to make your donation.  Thank you so much!