By Patrick Baron
BLOOMINGTON – In an effort to raise money for a cure for pediatric cancer and raise awareness, a man from Michigan is riding along Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica, California.
Mark Linder is riding his bike along the historic highway in honor of his son, Kevin, who died of pediatric cancer when he was just six years old. Linder said Kevin always wanted to drive along Route 66, which served as the inspiration for his long journey.
“Kevin was obsessed with the movie “Cars,” which is based loosely off Route 66,” Linder explained. “We talked for years about driving Route 66. Unfortunately his treatments were such that we could never get time away to do it.”
Linder recalls his son’s courage and determination in the face of cancer.
“We asked him several times throughout his treatments ‘hey, do you want to stop, do you want to give up’ and his answer was always ‘no, I want to keep fighting, I want to keep pushing, I’m going to beat this’ and so we just kept that positive mindset as much as we could and tried to fight as hard as we could,” Linder said.
After Kevin passed, Linder and his wife wanted to find a way to honor Kevin while also helping other kids who have been afflicted with pediatric cancer.
“My wife came up with a crazy idea that we should try to raise $10 per mile, which works out roughly to $24,920, which if we get anywhere close to that I’d be ecstatic,” said Linder.
Funds raised during Linder’s ride will go to DC Strong and CureSearch, two organizations dedicated to helping children fight pediatric cancer while attempting to find a cure. Linder’s website, www.ride2endpc.com, details their family’s story and how people can get involved with Linder’s long trip in a number of ways.
“They can donate, they can contact me – all of my contact information is on there – they can contact me and say ‘hey, I want to come ride with you a little ways,’ that would be fun as well,” said Linder. “We’re looking for companies to sponsor it.”
Linder said he’s most excited about seeing the famous sites along Route 66 while he crosses the country for his son and other children with pediatric cancer.
Patrick Baron can be reached at [email protected].
