NAPLES, Fla. — A 68-year-old Naples man is walking 106 miles through the Florida Keys to raise awareness about a life-threatening lung disease, after doctors told him he only had months to live.
Bill Ashley was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) back in 2020. PF is a progressive condition that scars lung tissue, making it increasingly difficult to breathe.
Now after having outlived expectations, Ashley says he’s dedicating what could be his final days to fighting the disease by walking from Key Largo to Key West with a support group.
WATCH ASHLEY'S JOURNEY BELOW:
"I've had living days and dying days, and I spend more time focusing on my living days," Ashley said.
Doctors initially told Ashley to get his affairs in order and gave him less than 18 months to live with the extent of his condition.
"I was told to immediately go home and get my affairs in order. That was late 2020, and I decided not to go home and give up," he recalled. "I wanted to show my family that I was a fighter and I'm going to be around for a while."
Ashley believes decades of working on farms, in paint booths and in the automotive industry contributed to his diagnosis.
"The doctors at the Mayo Clinic said, ‘I'm sorry, Bill, you spent the last 50 years killing your lungs.’ I didn’t know I was killing myself," he said.
Living with pulmonary fibrosis is a daily struggle, but Ashley says since he moved to Naples in 2021 he has been in a mostly stable condition.
PF affects approximately 250,000 Americans and there is currently no known cure.
But having outlived initial expectations with the help of therapy, Ashley is now raising money for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation in hopes of advancing research.
As of Tuesday evening, Ashley’s has raised nearly $40,000 in his campaign with the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.
"I hope my children can look back and say my dad spearheaded a program that helped find a cure," he said.
