PAW PAW, Mich. (WOOD) — Mark Linder is getting ready for a bicycle ride unlike any other.
"A lot of people have expressed a lot of surprise, and a lot of, 'Holy cow, it sounds impossible,'" Linder said.
Next Friday, the Paw Paw man will embark on an amazing journey. Starting in Chicago and ending in California, he plans to ride his bike on or along the entirety of legendary U.S. Route 66. That's nearly 2,500 miles.
As incredible as the feat may be, the reasoning behind it is both heartbreaking and inspiring.
"Our youngest, his name was Kevin. And when he was 2, almost 3 years old, he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma cancer," Linder explained.
Kevin fought it for 3 1/2 years and even beat cancer twice, but the third time was just too much. He died in 2013 at just 6 years old.
"His strength was just incredible," Linder said. "We asked him several times during this process, 'Hey you know, we can stop fighting now. We can give you some medicine that will help you feel better and you won't have to worry about it.' And his answer was always, 'No I want to keep fighting. I want to keep going.'"
Now, Mark will use his son's fight as motivation as he sets off on the grueling trek. His journey will raise money for other families going through a similar situation.
FULL STORY: WOOD TV