ROCHESTER, N.Y. — ​Bob Falkenberg is biking 3,500 miles across the country in an effort to connect more people with bone marrow transplants.

Spectrum News 1 caught up with him in Rochester Thursday.

He says he's making this ride because he himself was able to beat leukemia thanks to a bone marrow transplant made possible with grant funding from the organization "Be the Match" a dozen years ago.

But since the start of the pandemic, funding for the organization's patient assistance program has fallen $900,000 short. That means more than 300 families could go without the financial help they need this year.

Falkenberg tells Spectrum News 1 he's hoping his ride will inspire people to make financial donations, but he's also hoping to make people more aware of the need for marrow donations, especially for certain demographics.

"If you're Black or African American, your odds of finding one donor on the registry are only about 29% right now because Black and African American donors are under-represented on the registry,” Falkenberg said. “We need a lot more donors that are ethnically diverse."

To make a donation, or learn more about how to donate bone marrow, visit BeTheMatch.org.