Roland Frasier and Wags are walking for a wonderful cause
Losing a spouse is devastating. It’s a reality Roland Frasier knows all too well — he lost his beloved wife Shirley to cancer last year after almost 20 years of marriage. September 3 would have marked their 20th anniversary.
Still grieving, Frasier has decided to do something both marvelous and unorthodox to honor Shirley’s memory: he and his dog, Wags, are walking 1200 miles to raise money for Mission of Hope Cancer Fund. The charity’s financial assistance was instrumental in allowing Shirley to get to her all-too-frequent cancer treatment appointments.
“She would have missed half of her appointments because of gas mileage, [even though] it was only 12 miles,” said Frasier. “But you add that up to gas mileage and it would eat your pocket out.”
“If I couldn’t have gotten her to her appointments, that would have broken my heart,” Frasier added.
Frasier and Wags began their journey on August 1st in Michigan and hope to reach Tampa, Florida by mid-November. As of this writing, the two have just passed over the Tennessee-Georgia state line.
Frasier says the walk is a kind of therapy for him — he does “a lot of thinking” while he walks down the road.
“It gives me time to heal and makes my heart feel better,” Frasier says of his journey.
But it’s not just a mission for personal healing; more importantly, Frasier wants to help families who are dealing with cancer right now.
Mission of Hope is one of less than 5 percent of cancer charities that provide direct financial assistance to cancer patients and their families. Knowing the difference that Mission of Hope made for Shirley and himself, Frasier wants to give back so other families can receive the same kind of help he did.
Frasier’s goal is to raise $250,000 by the end of his journey, but he’s still got a long way to go.
You can help make Frasier and Wags’ dream a reality by donating to their cause.
You can also follow their progress on their Facebook page.
To see Roland and Wags as they make the long walk from Michigan to Florida, check out the video below.
WRCBtv.com | Chattanooga News, Weather
[Source: WRBC Chattanooga]
