Oregon cyclist raising cancer awareness recovering in Yuma after injury

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - An Oregon man known for cycling across the country to raise cancer awareness is now recovering in Yuma after a serious hand injury left him stranded far from home.

Stephen Swift, a two-time cancer survivor, began his cross-country bike ride in 2012 after losing his wife to cancer.

Along the way, he has traveled through communities across the United States sharing his story and encouraging others facing difficult circumstances.

Swift was injured while working a contracting job in Glendale, where he severed a finger while building custom cabinets.

Friends later helped bring him to Yuma, where has has been recovering and stuck for more than a week.

After arriving in Yuma, Swift posted an SOS message on Facebook asking for help with basic necessities.

Local nonprofit Accion Chicana and several community members responded by providing food, water and other support while he recovers.

"And of course things are going to happen, this is the hand by the way that got cut," Swift said. "It's not that I'm clumsy, it's just that things happen. We don't expect them to happen, but they do. But, I keep telling people never give up, never give in, always go forward, fight."

Community members have also created a GoFundMe to help Swift pay for necessities and eventually return home to Oregon with his cat, Cali.