After a two-year pandemic-related pause, Brooklyn bikers geared up and took to the streets in celebration of the 14th annual Ride 2 Live — a motorcycle ride through Kings County that raises funds for breast cancer research.
This year’s fundraiser, hosted by Maimonides Health, was held in partnership with the local Bikers of Brooklyn riding club and NYPD highway patrol. More than 100 bikers made the trek on Saturday, Sept. 24, with all proceeds going to to the Maimonides Breast Center — a first of its kind facility in the borough.
The ride kicked off at the Maimonides Breast Center in Sunset Park and the bikers traversed the borough, ending five miles away at Maimonides Park in Coney Island. After the ride, a celebration was held at the baseball stadium, where Maimonides patients, families, staff and supporters enjoyed food, drink and live music.
Ride 2 Live is especially meaningful to Dr. Patrick Borgen, chair of the medical center’s department of surgery, head of the Breast Center — and a member of the Bikers of Brooklyn himself. Each fall, he gathers his club-mates to ride across the borough to help raise money for the Breast Center.
“We are incredibly grateful to everyone who came out to support this incredible event to raise money and awareness for the importance of breast cancer prevention and treatment,” Borgen said. “Maimonides is proud to be able to provide world-class care, right here in Brooklyn, and the more we can spread the word about the importance of preventative care, the more lives we can save.”
An estimated 970 New Yorkers will die from breast cancer each year and 6,300 will be newly diagnosed, according to NYC Health. Early detection and treatment of breast cancer, at a facility like Maimonides’ Breast Center, is crucial for a favorable prognosis.
“Thousands of patients come to the Maimonides Cancer Center and Breast Center each year, and we strive to provide the best care possible while always putting the patient’s needs and comfort first,” said Dr. Donna-Marie Manasseh, director of breast surgery at the Maimonides Breast Center. “Events like Ride 2 Live not only raise money for us to continue providing the highest quality care possible, but they also allow us an opportunity to stress the critically important role of regular screenings and life-saving, preventative care.”
This year’s tally was not available by press time, but in 2019, when the last fundraiser was held, Ride 2 Live raised a whopping $35,000 for preventative care and treatment for patients at the Maimonides Breast Center.
“It’s a really fun event,” said Marissa Coscia, who handles communications for the fundraiser. “It’s a very unique fundraiser. Not many hospitals out there are doing motorcycle rides across the borough. As they’re riding across the borough, people are looking at the Maimonides Breast Cancer Center on the back of their bikes as they’re riding.”
The Maimonides Breast Center is the first and only fully accredited breast center in the borough. It specializes in providing patients with comprehensive care and customized treatment plans following a breast cancer diagnosis.
This year’s Ride 2 Live took place just one week before the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
