 "Photo: Alexandra Pedrini")
Finally finishing his 1,300-mile hike across the United States, Dustin Hucks was reunited Sunday with his family at the Southwest Cancer Center.
Family gathered to welcome Hucks home from his three-month journey across the country in which he raised money and support for the American Cancer Society.
The Lubbock native began his journey in Los Angeles and traveled by foot through multiple cites to make his way home where his aunt Debbie Yoakum lives. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of becoming a screenwriter, and one day, Hucks decided to run home, raising money to support the American Cancer Society’s research for finding a cure for cancer. He said his motivation for this run was to support his aunt, who suffers from lymphoma, a terminal cancerous disease.
“He’s trying to make a statement saying that we all need to fight cancer,” said Donald Curry, ACS chairman of the board. “Every dollar is important in the fight against cancer. We are making great strides; even here on the Tech campus where we have researchers from the United Cancer Center, who are studying cancer and treating patients, they are making great strides in what they’re doing.”
So far Hucks has raised about $1,200, only a small portion of his $1 million goal. Hucks said he will continue to raise money for ACS, even though this run is finished.
His Web site, www.followtherun.org, will continue to have a button linking to the ACS Web site where people can donate money towards helping fight cancer. Hucks plans to keep the Web site up and running as he prepares for future runs. Hucks said this site allows him to share his stories, ask for support and tell people how they can help the fight against cancer.
“I need about a year to get a crew and sponsors together,” Hucks said.
About half way through his run, Hucks lost his run crew in Flagstaff, Ariz. He said they left the run because it was a little bit too much for them to handle and they needed to go home and get back to their lives. He said he wasn’t upset and he understood since this run took longer than any of them had expected.
“It was just little too much for them,” Hucks said. “The idea is very romantic, running from LA to Lubbock, but just wasn’t perfect for them.”
He said he began running the day after his birthday, Aug. 15, staying at fire stations and American Cancer Societies since he left.
Running half way around the country proved a difficult task, Hucks said, he suffered from the flu twice and dehydration repeatedly throughout his journey. Having to sometimes even camp out on the side of the roads, his GPS attached to his back pack has helped save his life. His GPS allowed followers and his family to track his progress on the Web site, while also getting him help when he needed it. At one point, he passed out on the side of the road and the GPS allowed for EMS workers to find him and help Hucks get on his way, he said.
“His GPS was really a lifesaver for him,” said Kathryn Hucks, Dustin Hucks’s grandmother. “It got him help when he got sick. I worried a lot and now that he is home, I am relieved.”
Hucks plans to continue running and raising money for ACS. He said he plans to run marathons as training for his next big hike across the United States. He said he wants to run the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs the western coast from Mexico to Canada. Immediately after greeting his family, he said he will do another run, but this time with more planning.
“I had lots of support from ACS,” Hucks said. “I’d do it again in a second. I’ve been doing this for three months of my life and now that it’s over, its both sad and nice.”
Be the first to comment on this article!