Walking from Stevens Point to Texas for a cause

STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WSAW) - A Stevens Point woman is walking more than 1,000 miles on a journey to help raise money and bring awareness to a rare lung disease.

Mary Hesch started her journey from Stevens Point all the way to Port Aransas, Texas on Wednesday, Sept. 15.

It’s a walk to honor her mother who passed away from pulmonary fibrosis 25-years-ago.

“I’ve always thought, wouldn’t it be fun to walk to an ocean?” Hesch said.

That’s just what Mary Hesch is doing, she’s walking to the ocean, from Stevens Point.

“I’m feeling a lot of love. I hope that one day we find a cure,” she said.

Mary and a couple of her friends are walking for 99 days with an average of about 14.6 miles per day, that’s a total of 1,439 miles.

“I don’t know, I’ve always loved to walk. So I think it’s always been there and now that I know my mom is in the ocean, that’s where I’m going,” Hesch said.

Mary’s father, Orville is 93. He’s living proof that being a proud dad never gets old.

“Well, it’s awesome... [it’s] pretty brave,” her father said.

It’s an emotional walk that won’t go unnoticed, with a goal to raise $50,000. All proceeds are going straight to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.

Mary and her friends kicked off Wednesday with walking 18 miles. “I think it’s a great cause you know and it’s special to Mary, very special to Mary,” Joan Dold said.

Although it’s a long road ahead, Mary isn’t going to give up on her mom.

“I’ve never done this before so I’m just going to fight through it. If there’s pain and I’m determined to finish the whole thing,” Hesch said.

She has already raised about $13,000 for the cause. If you would like to donate, be sure to follow the link.

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