Thank you for visiting Road to the Cure!

I will be walking across the United States during the spring and summer of 2008 to promote breast cancer awareness and raise funds for Komen for the Cure. I will leave Delaware on March 1st and plan to arrive on the California coast by Labor Day.

Why? I had been fortunate to make it nearly 36 years without anyone close to me being affected by a life-threatening illness. That changed in 2004 when a close friend was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer. Conventional treatment ensued and the cancer appeared to be in remission, but last summer she was told it had metastasized in her bones and lungs and that she had months to live. She is still going strong, but her future is obviously uncertain. After seeing what she and her family have gone through, and knowing over 180,000 women and men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the United States alone, I decided to do this walk to help save lives and prevent as many people as possible from having to suffer this terrible illness. I have done long-distance trips before - two cross-country bike trips (1986, 91), 2/3 of the Appalachian Trail in 1996, and a full thruhike of the AT in 2006. I never did a trip for a greater cause though and I felt it was time I did so.

Fundraising! The one hundred thousand dollar fundraising target that I have set is definitely not a lowball figure! It's ambitious, but I believe it can be reached if everything comes together - especially media involvment. Please, pretty please donate to this worthwhile cause!

Need Help! You can follow my journey online on Trail Journals at http://www.trailjournals.com/roadtothecure/ . I will be loosely following the American Discovery Trail, which runs from Cape Henlopen, DE to Point Reyes, CA, for about half the walk. I will be walking through Delaware; eastern Maryland; Washington DC; northern Virginia; West Virginia. southern Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois; central Missouri, northern Kansas, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada; and central/northern California. If anyone near this route can help with making media contacts or providing logistical help if needed, it would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance!

Prevention!  Women over 40: Get a mammogram and clinical breast exam annualy, do a breast self-exam every month. Women 20-39: Get a clinical breast exam every three years and do a breast self-exam every month. Men: 1% of all breast cancer cases are men! See a doctor if you have any persistent lumps or changes in the chest area.

Sponsors! So far, New Balance is providing me with walking shoes for the Road and LEKI is providing trekking poles, many thanks! I still need all the sponsorship help I can get, If you're a company willing to donate gear, food, or services - or anyone who wants to help with good old cash, please email me below. Thanks!

Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts. Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!

Ron K - DE-CA '08                                        http://www.trailjournals.com/roadtothecure/                         lonewolfhiker@yahoo.com