A group of determined paddleboarders will make their way to The Bahamas from West Palm Beach this Saturday, June 23, in an effort to raise money and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis.
The group will paddle more than 70 miles.
Founder of the event and executive director of Piper’s Angels Foundation Travis Suit, started the event in honor of his 10-year-old daughter Piper, who was diagnosed with CF at age four.
“There are a few people participating in the paddle that also suffer from the disease,” Suit said in an interview with WPTV in Florida.
“To have other people with CF participating in this event shows that CF may be a diagnosis but it is not what defines your life.
“The depth of people’s purpose, with what they’re doing definitely is a big part of what elevates the passion and heightens the awareness.”
Having trained for six months to make the 75-mile paddle journey, Nick Ganster traveled from Tampa to take part in the event.
“There’s always that point where you want to stop but you just gotta keep moving, telling yourself you’re okay, and you’re going to make it,” Ganster said.
Paddlers range in age from 18 to 62 and the event has raised more than $250,000 in past years.
Saturday’s event at the Lake Worth Pier will begin at 10:00 a.m. as paddle boarders begin to arrive.
They are expected to leave Bimini at 1:00 a.m. on Saturday.
