LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — Well over 100 paddleboarders made the 80-mile journey from the Bahamas to South Florida, as they raised funds for people fighting a grueling genetic disorder.
Dozens of people took to the water on Sunday to make the 80-mile trek, using only a paddleboard, all in the name of spreading awareness for cystic fibrosis.
“It was phenomenal, had a great team, great outcome,” said one of the paddleboarders. “We beat our goal; everything was fantastic.”
For some paddleboarders, this was a challenge near and dear to their hearts.
“My daughter has cystic fibrosis, and when we got her diagnosis, I jumped into social media to see what it looked like,” said Ashley, “and I found Claire Wineland, and through that I found Claire’s Place Foundation and fell in love with them.”
Paddleboarder said this ocean journey was no picnic.
“It was tough, but it got beautiful in the middle of the day, and we were looking forward to the finish,” said Casey.
“It was awesome to be out there together, like, it was – I couldn’t have asked for a better crew, a better teammate, partner, paddle,” said Lindsey.
Travis Suit launched the Piper’s Angels Foundation after his daughter Piper was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that affects the lungs.
Suit, the foundation’s executive director, said he heard of the benefits the ocean could give to people with the disease, such as the saltwater and salty air.
Suit became a dad on a mission to help those like his daughter, and on Sunday, they celebrated the 10th Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis.
“Filled with so much gratitude, you know, from the time we got to Bimini, every event and experience there, to see what all these paddlers showed up to do, the captains and crew, huge community,” he said.
As for Piper, she accomplished her first crossing with this year’s event.
“It’s a really proud dad moment, for sure,” said Suit. “I was just asking Piper what she thought, how many miles she did in the ocean and, you know, now she’s probably done more miles in the ocean than most people, right?”
A total of 180 paddleboarders finished their journey on Sunday.
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