Couple Bikes 2,500 Mi. To Raise Money For Lupus LA

SANTA MONICA, CA – Los Angeles locals Elsa and Tim Nanson, both in their 70s, are finishing up a 40-day, 2,500 mile bike ride across the US Route 66 highway Friday. Their final destination? The Santa Monica Pier.

The Nanson's goal is to raise money and awareness for lupus because their 41-year-old daughter Tina has suffered from the disease for 30 years, including near death complications, chemo treatments and more. A year after her diagnosis at age 11, she nearly died from the effects of lupus in her lungs. The funds raised by the Nansons will go towards Lupus LA, a non-profit dedicated to finding the causes of and a cure for the autoimmune disorder.

More Americans have lupus than AIDS, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, sickle-cell anemia and cystic fibrosis combined – yet most know little or nothing about the disease, according to the press release. Even Selena Gomez underwent a kidney transplant due to lupus complications earlier this year.

For more information, visit https://www.firstgiving.com/lupusla/route66.

Photos courtesy of Elsa and Tim Nanson