Fundraiser Spotlight: Riki and Meital Wiederhorn

Posted on February 22, 2022
LUNGevity Foundation

 

Riki Wiederhorn and her daughter Meital of Westport, Connecticut have taken on a new challenge, participating in their first half-marathon in memory of their belated friend, lung cancer patient and advocate, Nancy Cohen. The duo is running in the Tel Aviv half-marathon later this month and have been fundraising as part of the B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Bib) program with Team LUNGevity.

 

Riki and Meital were introduced to LUNGevity through Nancy’s extensive involvement in the organization, sharing “Whatever she (Nancy) got involved in she always jumped in with both feet. She gave everything that she had to offer and she had a lot to offer.” Nancy wore many hats during her tenure with LUNGevity: advocate, fundraiser, and chair of the 2020 and 2021 Celebration of Hope to name a few. Nancy’s commitment to LUNGevity, as well as the desire to improve the outcomes for future lung cancer patients, inspired their decision to fundraise in her memory. 

 

Nancy Cohen pictured opposite of Riki and Meital Wiederhorn
Although Riki and Meital were not previously runners, their decision to participate in an endurance event was inspired by the many hours and miles Riki and Nancy spent walking together. Today, Riki uses her time preparing for the race as a way to feel connected to Nancy. Although the 13-mile distance was daunting at first, Riki and Meital were looking for a challenging goal that would, in their own words, “take time and effort because Nancy deserves the time and the effort.” Riki shares that the desire to achieve their running and fundraising goals in honor of Nancy has fueled their motivation to tackle the physical and mental preparation needed for the race.

  


 

When asked how they selected the specific half-marathon Riki shared this moving sentiment, “When we discovered that the Tel Aviv Half-Marathon fell on Nancy's birthday (February 25) it felt like Nancy whispering in our ears, "This is it!" The marathon’s significance is further magnified as the occasion marks the first time that Riki can visit Meital in Israel, where she now lives, due to restrictions related to COVID-19. The duo is continuing to fundraise in advance of the half-marathon, and have met and exceeded their goal several times over. There is still time to donate and wish them luck before their race on February 25th. You can learn more about Riki and Meital here.

 

If you’re inspired by Riki and Meital’s story and would like to participate in an endurance event while fundraising for LUNGevity, please visit our website. Thanks to the B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Bib) program, anyone can run for Team LUNGevity regardless of location or preferred endurance event. This allows individuals to fundraise for LUNGevity Foundation while having access to participation in a wide variety of established races and events. With this program, participants are responsible for securing their spot in the desired race but receive access to the fundraising tools and community support that is a hallmark of the Team LUNGevity experience.

 

 

Blog categories
In the Community
What did you think about this post?
0
0
0