Cancer Survivor Cody O’Connor Announces “Walk for Hope”

After meeting 25-year-old Cody O’Connor from Cincinnati, you are sure to be inspired. Not only by his strength and resilience for having battled an Ewing’s Sarcoma diagnosis at the age of 14, but for his determination to shine a light on the many struggles all families can face after a cancer diagnosis and finding ways to provide support to help them.

Now ten years post treatment, O’Connor will embark on a cross country trek from New York to Los Angeles, and everywhere in between to demonstrate the importance of never giving up, while raising funds for pediatric cancer patients. This “Walk for Hope” kicks off on Thursday, June 17th in New York City and will have stops in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Louisville, St. Louis, Kansas City, Topeka, Denver, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and end in Los Angeles. O’Connor’s has allotted four months for his journey and will be documenting through videos, a blog series, social media and journaling while meeting and talking with people along the way. Proceeds from sponsorships and monies raised will go to Champions Do Overcome to directly benefit and aid pediatric cancer patient battles.

“The walk stands for never giving up - no matter what people tell you, always try to take that next step to overcome the odds you are facing,” explains O’Connor. “I want this walk to shed light on the ongoing mental and emotional toll that cancer can have on a person and their family. I want this journey to spread positivity, especially following a year that has been dark to many.”

O’Connor’s cancer diagnosis not only affected him, but his entire family. Each of his parents were forced to file for bankruptcy, despite working full time in order to continue providing for themselves and his six siblings. Financial stress and obligations prevented them from visiting him in the hospital as much as they would have liked. But O’Connor understood and was grateful to have a retired grandfather who tended to him daily, taking him to appointments and life-saving treatments. While he credits his entire family and physicians for successfully getting him through his battle, the experience revealed what more needs to be done for families facing cancer. So, in 2018, O’Connor founded the non-profit Champions Do Overcome with a mission to provide financial and emotional assistance to families so that they can be with their loved one in the hospital and continue fighting, without the added stress of bills piling up at home.

“The idea came to me during one of my chemo treatments,” adds O’Connor. “I wanted to create an organization that strengthens the family unit and ensures no child is left to fight a cancer battle alone.”

Champions Do Overcome provides all cost-of-living payments for families during the duration of cancer treatments and aids in connecting current patients to cancer survivors and members of the community for overall support. The organization’s core values of integrity, optimism, kindness, and sincerity are demonstrated by members and supporters and the goal is to become a gateway to a new, stress free, and love- filled cancer battle. To date, Champions Do Overcome has helped three patients and families through the mentoring program and one family financially.

These days, O’Connor is spending most of his time preparing for the 22 miles per day he plans to average on his trek across the country. Physically, he has been training under the guidance of Cincinnati-native and retired mixed martial arts champion Rich Franklin, whom he met through a mutual acquaintance last Fall. Franklin was so impressed with O’Connor and the “Walk of Hope” that he immediately signed on to help him prepare. O’Connor has been walking numerous miles daily as well as doing some strength training with weights.

When he’s not busy working out, O’Connor is outreaching to mentors, friends, companies and any contacts he may have to secure support for items and services that will be needed for his trip. Kroger, the largest supermarket in the U.S., has signed on to support him with groceries for the entire trip. Wyndham Hotels and Resorts has donated reward points while Altra will provide O’Connor’s footwear and Infinit Nutrition will make sure he has the proper supplements to support his recovery. Notable people such as Ben Higgins (The Bachelorette, The Bachelor), Harvey Lewis (ultrarunner/public speaker), Pete Kostelnick (ultrarunner) are taking to social media to inform their audiences of O’Connor and his cross-country trek.

During the “Walk for Hope,” O’Connor will have a team of 2-3 people traveling with him at all times. He plans to stay in touch with followers, supporters, friends and family via social media and through live videos and interviews along the way. He hopes to capture footage for a possible documentary around his journey. “I look forward to the cities and towns I will walk through and the people I will meet!” explains O’Connor. “I’m always up for throwing the first pitch out at an MLB game while passing through or I’d love to stop at a Children’s hospital to visit sick kids…however due to pandemic restrictions, that may not be possible. While I’ve set a goal of 4.5 months to complete this journey, it’s not so much about the timing, it’s about who and what I will come into contact with daily. I’m excited for that!

Sponsorships still needed for the “Walk of Hope” include: hotel rooms, transportation (rental car or RV), gas/fuel, audio gear, camping gear, video equipment, camera gear, bandages/wraps, bottled water, sunscreen, etc. Anyone interested in sponsoring can contact Cody directly at cody.oconnor95@gmail.com. For more information about the “Walk for Hope,” please visit www.ChampionsDoOvercome.org. Media contact: Daphne Ortiz, daphne@statementpr.net, 312.488.3472.

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