Notre Dame student to bike across the US for charity in memory of his Irish granny

Jack Owens, a 20-year-old Notre Dame student from Philadelphia, is embarking on a 3600-mile bike ride across the US in support of lung cancer patients.

His journey, inspired by his involvement with nonprofit Ride Hard Breathe Easy (RHBE), aims to raise $100,000.

Jack’s uncle, John Matthews, took a similar route in 2017 after his Irish mother Kathleen Matthews passed away from lung cancer. Jack wanted to follow in his uncle’s footsteps in honor of his Irish grandmother’s memory.

Though Jack’s previous longest ride was 65 miles, he doesn’t see this as an impossible challenge.

“The real question isn’t whether we can do it—it’s how well we can do it,” says Jack.

Jack Owens and his uncle John Matthews, the founder of RHBE.

Jack will begin his ride in San Francisco, California, on May 20 and finish in Ocean City, New Jersey, on July 6.

Each day of the 3600-mile journey, Jack will pay tribute to someone impacted by lung cancer and will gather 3,600 names of people impacted by lung cancer through Instagram using #rhbejack2025.

Over the course of 47 days, Jack will ride through California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey, covering an average of 80+ miles per day.

The funds raised by Jack’s ride go to hospital partners in Philadelphia, Maryland, North Carolina, and New Hampshire that directly help and support lung cancer patients who need Uber rides to an appointment, help with food insecurity, paying a utility bill, or buying a wig.

To date, RHBE has raised over $1 million and helped more than 2,500 patients, with 93% of every dollar raised going directly to the patients. The organization’s mission is to alleviate the suffering of lung cancer patients and their caregivers by raising awareness, supporting early detection, assisting patients, and working to end the stigma associated with the disease.​

“I’m so proud of Jack for doing this,” says uncle and Ride Hard Breathe Easy founder, John Matthews.

“Having done this ride in 2017, I know it’s not easy, but we’ll be supporting Jack every step of the way as we do the patients we support on their lung cancer journey.”

You can follow Jack’s journey, ride alongside him, donate, or submit a tribute at RHBE.org.

About Ride Hard Breathe Easy

Ride Hard Breathe Easy (RHBE) was founded by John Matthews after he lost his mother, Irish woman Kathleen Matthews, to lung cancer in 2011. The idea began in 2017 as a cross-country bike ride to raise money and awareness, and two years later, RHBE became a nonprofit organization that has helped hundreds of patients and caregivers dealing with the financial stress of a lung cancer diagnosis.

RHBE partners with Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health, Duke Cancer Institute, Jefferson Health, Crozer Health, Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center, Dartmouth Cancer Center, and Johns Hopkins Cancer Center to support their lung cancer patients.

For more information, visit RHBE.org.