SANTA MONICA, CA — A 26-year-old cancer survivor from Ohio completes his walk across America at the Santa Monica Pier Thursday.
Cody O’Connor is expected to reach the iconic pier sometime between 2 to 3 pm Thursday, city officials said. It’s part of his “Walk for Hope” and for the last nine months, he has walked across the country, raising $300,000 for pediatric cancer patients and spreading awareness about the mental and emotional toll that a diagnosis can have on a person and their family.
O’Connor started the walk in New York on June 17 and has walked more than 3,500 miles of the 3,700-mile journey, averaging about 20 to 25 miles per day.
Santa Monica Police Department, Santa Monica Fire Department and representatives from the City and Pier will be there to greet him at the finish line Thursday afternoon, Lt. Rudy Flores of the Santa Monica Police Department told Patch.
At age 14, O’Connor was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma and had to have his right fibula removed. Doctors told him he would never walk normally again. The “Walk for Hope” represents overcoming challenges no matter how much the odds may be stacked against you. It’s putting one foot in front of the other for just one more step.
O’Connor’s family was put to the test — they lost their home and received help through the community. Ultimately, he realized that families facing cancer need more support.
In 2018, O’Connor founded Champions Do Overcome, a nonprofit with a mission to provide financial and emotional assistance to families so that they can be with their loved one in the hospital and continue fighting, without the added stress of bills piling up at home .
Current sponsors include Kroger, MyMedic, Altra Running, Dude Wipes, Inifinit Nutrition, Sacan Martian Arts, MyFanThreads and MMA athlete Rich Franklin with donations from Wyndham Hotel and Resorts, ACE, Nuun, Smart Wood, Defy Water, Liquid V and Feedback Audiology Solutions & Consulting.
O’Connor has a team of several people always traveling with him and is staying in touch with followers, supporters, friends, and family via social media and through live videos and interviews along the way.
The walk across the US has taken him 10 months to complete, which coincidentally was the same duration of Cody’s battle with cancer.
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