Dave and Linda Fleischer hit the road today for a Journey of Hope in memory of their daughter, Sarah, who passed away in 2018 from a horrible cancer, cholangiocarcinoma. They embarked on what, for Dave, will be a 15,000 mile road trip across the nation and back to help raise money to support research into this disease and during which they hope to spread awareness and bring hope to patients, caregivers, and others along the way.
The road trip, in a car with a specially designed wrap promoting cholangiocarcinoma awareness, will feature visits to some 18 towns named Hope, stops at various hospitals and healthcare institutions that specialize in research and treatment of the disease, and get-togethers with other patients, caregivers and healthcare providers who were important in Sarah's life.
Cholangiocarcinoma starts in the bile duct and is an incredibly deadly cancer, which afflicts about 8,000 people in the United States each year. Most of its victims are 65 or older, but Sarah was only 31 when she was diagnosed. She passed away at age 35.
The trip also commemorates the 15th anniversary of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, which supports research and educational initiatives into the disease. Linda will be with Dave for the first 10 days of the trip, and then he will be on his own – except for the many well-wishers and supporters he is bound to meet along the way.
“I intend to honor the memory of my daughter, Sarah,” says Dave. “Sarah would have loved to do this trip with me.” The journey is scheduled to end June 29 or July 1, depending on circumstances.
The trip is being supported by the Foundation, which has made the tricked out Honda SUV available for the journey. Sponsors are Incyte, Ken Garff Honda, QED Therapeutics, Servier, Taiho Oncology, Welch’s Fruit Snacks and Zymeworks. Dave is a retired candy industry executive and a member of the Candy Hall of Fame.
Dave previewed his trip in this episode of the NFN Radio News podcast and will be reporting in from the road over the next six weeks of his Journey of Hope. The first such report will stream on the NFN Radio News podcast Friday, May 28, and we'll provide an update on Not Fake News each week as well.
Here's a video produced by the Foundation about their journey.
To donate to the Foundation in support of the Fleischer' trip, text JourneyofHope to 41444 or click here. The goal is $30,000, and as of today, $8,303 has been raised.