THE LAST BIG RIDE
FOR
PULMONARY FIBROSIS

THE STORY

Brett Anderson was living a healthy and active life with his wife and dog in Hot Springs, Virginia. He had worked as a pilot for United Airlines for 26 years out of Washington D.C. and was a senior Captain flying International routes to Europe and South America. In the late summer of 2021 he noticed that he was having excessive shortness of breath with simple exertions, such as walking up a slight hill, something very unusual for him as he regularly ran 3-4 miles a day, rode motorcycles off-road, and lifted weights. As this continued and got worse Brett went to his doctor who took a chest x-ray and immediately sent him to the local emergency room, where they admitted him to the hospital for 4 days. He was diagnosed with Chronic Eosinophilic Pneumonia, a type of Autoimmune Lung disease. After being released and started on a treatment regimen, he got better for a while, but then stopped improving after a few months. He could not get back to running and other cardio activities without extreme shortness of breath.

Concerned about the long-term effects, Brett went to one of the top pulmonology clinics in the world, the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester MN, where he was eventually diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis as a result of the Eosinophilic Pneumonia.

Knowing that PF is a terminal lung disease, but not knowing if he had one year or many left, Brett decided to not only fulfill some dreams of his own by riding his motorcycle in different areas around the world, but to use his journeys to inspire others and to show that a bad medical diagnosis does not mean you have to stop living your life. Because the FAA has decided that he cannot keep flying with this disease, his career is currently on hold, but he is working with his doctors to convince the FAA that he is safe to keep flying at his current disease level. In the meantime, Brett decided to raise money for Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness and research through a fundraiser for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to raise awareness of Pulmonary Fibrosis, a rare and uncurable disease of the lungs, and to raise funds for Pulmonary Fibrosis research. Our founder, Brett Anderson, decided to do The Last Big Ride as a way to fulfill a bucket list wish and raise awareness of Pulmonary Fibrosis. He wanted to show that just because you have a terminal illness diagnosis, you don’t have to stop living. Along the way, Brett decided to start The Last Big Ride Foundation (LBRF) to not only raise awareness of PF, but to also raise funds to help other patients. All funds raised will go directly to non-profit awareness and research organizations.

THE GOAL

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

WHAT IS
PULMONARY
FIBROSIS?

In short, it is an irreversible scarring of the lung tissue which eventually leads to death. Fibrosis means scarring, and Pulmonary Fibrosis causes the thin walls of the air sacs, or Alveoli, to become stiff and thickened, making them less efficient at transferring oxygen to the blood as well as making it more difficult for the lungs to expand. This means it takes more and more effort to breathe and leads to shortness of breath.

Pulmonary Fibrosis can come from many different things, such as exposure to Asbestos or other lung-damaging toxins, Autoimmune diseases, and certain medications. Or, the cause can be unknown, in which case it is called Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for Pulmonary Fibrosis and the damage is irreversible. Every
patient’s experience with it is unique, with some living for many years after diagnosis, and
others living less than a year. Sometimes it is stable for many years, but then an exacerbation can cause rapid progression within several months.

WHAT YOU
CAN DO

-The Last Big Ride Foundation is raising funds for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (https://www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org) Your donations are fully tax-deductible and will go directly to help other Pulmonary Fibrosis patients. Our initial goal is $25,000.

-You can help raise PF awareness by following Brett’s journey on Instagram @the_last_big_ride and recommend to follow him to your friends, family, and Instagram followers.

-Educate yourself on PF and lung diseases. PF is an “invisible disease” in that patients not on oxygen therapy often don’t look sick.