Bill Ashley’s Inspiring Journey To Combat Pulmonary Fibrosis

Bill Ashley has always been a fighter but after being diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in 2020 and advised to get his affairs in order, he made a courageous decision that proved how much of one he truly is.

Bill Ashley on his walk to Key West to raise awareness about pulmonary fibrosis.

Instead of accepting the prognosis of having just 18-24 months to live, Ashley chose to confront his disease head-on and battle it with all his strength. He retired early and relocated from Kentucky to Naples, Florida, where he could breathe in the salty air and dedicate himself to improving his lung capacity in an effort to slow the disease’s progression.

On January 5, Ashley began a demanding 14-day, 106-mile trek called “The Keys for a Cure” to raise funds and awareness for PF. Starting from mile marker 106 in Key Largo, he plans to walk an average of 7.5 miles each day south and west, culminating on January 19 at mile marker 0 in Key West.

Day one saw Ashley walk 11 miles, and he’s planning to match that total on day two.

“We huddled up, started with a prayer and just started walking,” Ashley told Managed Healthcare Executive as he was walking on day 2. “I’m sore today and my foot is throbbing. but I can deal with a throbbing foot.”

And his lung? “My lungs are giving me no problem at all. I did my breathing rehab last night, and do it every day, and it’s helping me a lot.”

Ashley turns 68 tomorrow, so after a walk in the morning, he’s planning on riding to Key West to have a big dinner to celebrate. Then it’s back to walking the next morning.

“Thank god I’m healthy and able to do this at my age,” he said. “I’m increasing my lung capacity with the exercise I do. I drink a lot of herbal teas that my wife mixes up for me and I’m showing other people that you need to try as hard as you can for your family.”

Ashley’s fundraising page shows he’s already raised about $38,000 towards his $50,000 goal for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.

“The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation has been a big help getting my story out,” he said. “We put live posts out on our site and we’re getting a lot of people keeping up with us. There’s a lot of support. It’s been good for me and my confidence. I’m totally shocked at how much we’ve raised and the awareness we’ve gotten out there.”

Training for this walk has been far from easy. Ashley broke his foot twice in the last 12 months.

“I trained by walking every day, trying to get between 10,000-20,000 steps a day,” he said. “I’m so determined to do this. I noticed there are a lot of people who need positive motivation, in addition to awareness. A lot of people don’t know a lot about our disease. People who have it stay depressed, and they need some inspiration to live our lives and walk and breathe as much as we can.”

Two close friends are wallking with Ashley—John Hargrove, a retired Green Beret, and Joe Walden, a former Army Ranger.

“Joe is walking the whole way with me, and at the half-way point, John will join us,” Ashley said. “They both want to represent other veteran brothers who have PF.”

Ashley says that with no known cure, PF demands urgent attention and action.

“I’m doing this because I don’t want my children, my friends, or my grandchildren to be told they have a disease with no cure and to go home and die,” he said. “I want them to know I won’t back down from pulmonary fibrosis.”

For more information on his walk, visit his donation page at https://secure.qgiv.com/event/keys4cure/.