Originally appeared on Survivor Net
Eleven years ago doctors probably wouldn’t have guessed Cody O’Connor would be training to walk 3,000 miles.
In fact, O’Connor was told he’d never walk normally again during his battle with Ewing sarcoma. Now the cancer free 25-year-old is walking across the country to raise money for pediatric cancer patients and their families.
O’Connor is planning to average walking 22 miles per day over four months. The money he raises for his walk will go to his non-profit, Champions Do Overcome. His organization provides financial and emotional support to pediatric cancer patients and their families by providing money that goes directly to mortgage payments, utilities, food, gas and even sending parents on a date night or sending the family on a small “stay-cation.”
O’Connor was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma when he was just 14. His treatment consisted of 54 days of chemotherapy, 25 days of radiation and six surgeries. At the time, his mother and father were going through a divorce and struggling with the cost of their son’s treatment. O’Connor saw that his cancer journey was hard for the whole family and wanted to do something about it.
“The idea to start this nonprofit came to me with chemo pumping through my veins,” he said in a video for his non-profit. “It was in that hospital bed that I kept thinking about my siblings and how my illness was impacting their lives.”
Luckily, his community and his extended family came together to help. His grandfather, in particular, provided an immense amount of support for O’Connor by becoming his “battle buddy” and accompanying him during chemotherapy, transfusions and blood draws, among other appointments. Through it all, O’Connor realized his situation was far better than others.
“Not every child is this lucky. Not every child is lucky to have the large support group that I did,” O’Connor said. “Some children are sitting there by themselves – completely by themselves – because their parents can’t physically take off work… We want to ensure that no kid is left by themselves in the hospital. We also want to take off the stress from the family so that they can sit there and be together as a complete unit, and so that those kids, the other siblings, aren’t forgotten so that everybody as a whole is together.”
O’Connor’s 3,000-mile “Walk for Hope” begins on June 17.
His trek goes from New York City to Los Angeles with stops in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Louisville, St. Louis, Kansas City, Topeka, Denver, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.
O’Connor also wants to visit children’s hospitals throughout his journey if COVID-19 restrictions allow it. He wants them to look at him – a cancer survivor who was told he’d never walk normally again after his right fibula was removed – and believe that their dreams can come true.
“I want this walk to shed light on the ongoing mental and emotional toll that cancer can have on a person and their family,” O’Connor told WCPO 9 News. “I want this journey to spread positivity, especially following a year that has been dark to many.”
Understanding Ewing Sarcoma
Ewing sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that occurs in bones or in the soft tissue surrounding the bones. It is most commonly found in adolescents, but younger children, as well as adults (in their 20s and 30s) can also be diagnosed with this disease.
According to the Mayo Clinic, some signs and symptoms of Ewing sarcoma include:
Pain, swelling or tenderness near the affected area
Bone pain
Unexplained tiredness
Fever with no known cause
Losing weight without trying
Treatment for Ewing sarcoma depends heavily on the location of the cancer and the size of the tumor at the time of diagnosis. A doctor’s course of action may involve a combination of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. Sometimes the aggressive nature of these treatments can cause both short-term and long-term side effects. According to the Mayo Clinic, “lifelong monitoring is recommended” after completing treatment to watch for potential late effects of the intense treatment.