Map of the "offiicial" route!

Let us know if it looks like we're coming through your area. We'd love to see you! ... and maybe even camp in your back yard.

Exciting news! We may have found a brave soul willing to drive the van while we bike. If this unnamed individual decides it's a go, it will be a HUGE answer to prayer. Stay tuned.

In other news, the tally of money raised for the American Lung Association continues to go up and I cannot express how exciting this is! To watch the donations come in or to make one yourself, please visit the ALA donation website.

Pictures of Stanley

Jonathan's Profile

To say that I am excited to venture across the county on a bike this summer would be an understatement. I am ecstatic about it! I’m blessed to have my beautiful wife Jenny and my good friend Carrie along to share in this adventure. Their dedication to the SFS cause is an example of what we, as simple individuals, can do to further our understanding of lung disease through research, and bring hope and healing to those who suffer.

I want to personally thank all of you that have shown your support for Steps For Stanley. Without all of you taking your step, SFS would go nowhere. Every step counts.

I also want to give a personal thanks to my mom Phyllis. You have been an inspiration to me for the brief time I have spent on this earth. I love you. We both know that dad is happy to see this continue.

Jenny's Profile

I am so honored to be a part of this tour. When I tell people what we are about to undertake, the response is always “wow, that is something you will never forget!” It’s true, I will see incredible sites and test my body’s limits again and again. But the unforgettable nature of this trip goes beyond that. I am riding in support of my wonderful husband, Jonathan, and in honor his father Stanley... who will watch our progress from a much more comfortable seat. As a future occupational therapist, I am riding with the desire that the countless others who still suffer from the debilitating effects of lung-related diseases may find new hope and a future. I also ride as a way to share my prayers, love, and time with anybody we encounter and especially those who battle COPD. I'm in the process of organizing opportunities for our team to go into cardio-pulmonary units of hospitals along our route for this reason. The people we meet will inspire us to go further, and hopefully our efforts will have the same effect on them. We have been extremely blessed in our physical ability to make this happen and it is our privilege to do so for those who cannot.

Carrie's Profile

I will have to admit that when Jonathan Emlet asked me to take on this cross-country endeavor I was a little intimidated by the task. So many other of life's trivial worries entered my mind and I found myself quickly discouraged and convinced that this was simply an undertaking that I could not accept. However, the magnitude of this challenge began to monopolize my thoughts and slowly, I found myself asking why not instead of focusing on all of the reasons that I could
not accept. After much prayer, I am glad to say that my curiosity got the better of me and I gleefully accepted. The intrigue of a challenge has propelled me forward in so many of life's journeys thus far. I have been challenged intellectually, through the many years of my
education, spiritually as I find myself reaffirming my beliefs daily,and now I have initiated the grueling training terrain for physicial prowess.

It seem only fitting that the next chapter or "step" of my journey be representative of a man named Stanley and so many like him who are physicially unable to take on such a daunting endeavor. As both a physician assistant and an individual, I have witnessed many members of my own family, as well as several friends and patients suffer from the vast effects of lung disease. I have assisted many to survive lung disease and sadly I have also seen so many succumb to the disease process. SFS, for me offers much hope for the future of lung disease awareness and research. It's continuous growth will allow many of those who have touched my life to hope for a better future free from disease. It is for those struggling with lung disease, and the hope that SFS offers that I take on this challenge. It may be a bit unusual and extreme, but it has been my experience that the most intimidating journeys usually result in being the most rewarding.

Hooray, we have a blog! At this point we are probably less than three months from beginning, although we don't have a specific start date yet. As of today, exactly 26.2 of the 4,000 miles are officially sponsored!!! ... fitting, as it feels like we've got a marathon ahead of us. It's finally beginning to feel real though. Nervous, eager, apprehensive, excited, hopeful .... anticipating a huge adventure! Please come back and visit this Blog often for news about the tour and progress on our trip, and if you haven't yet, please visit the American Lung Association Steps for Stanley website to donate to the cause and join the "team."
Every Step Counts!
-jen