I almost lost my left leg when I was 14 years old. I recovered and continued to play sports, but I know what painful surgery, long hospital stays, and a poor diagnoses is like. That is why I dedicate my time and social media resources to this Maryland Trek for Just In Power Kids.  We are developing network of holistic, integrated wellness providers, pairing them with kids in and up to 5 years post cancer treatment, then paying for the treatment since most insurance companies do not cover that expense.

Starting from the summit of Wisp and ending at the Inlet in Ocean City, I picked Maryland’s two largest playgrounds for the kids who want to be kids again and just play. This is NO walk in the park. Fast paced hiking and biking combination everyday, to cross the state of Maryland from west to east in 7 days. Two legs each day, pun fully intended. That’s the plan. I’ve moved from sprinting to long distance running in my adulthood, but the hike is something more people can relate to. The biking portion represents the fun part childhood, plus it relieves tension on my legs using different muscles and shortens the time of the entire event.

Each day will start with a 27 mile hike averaging a little more than 4 miles per hour. The distance of 27 is just over a marathon and represents the years since I was sick to my first trek. The bike part will be 14 miles (or more), for the age I was when I was sick. Each day will be to honor one of our Power Kids. We will tell you their story to encourage and help empower them to take a bigger role and more control of their fitness journey.

We have assembled a team and have support from some great people. Shannon and I welcome more people to join the trek for the whole week, a single day, relay, or family day now featuring Kids Trek Too. We’d love to see you along the way, so track our location live right on this page. If you drive by or stop to say high, we can take a pic and post it using the hashtag #mdtrek5 to help document this lifetime journey on all social media platforms.