Cancer Patient Volunteers Across the United States
When 57-year-old Doug Ruch sat in his doctor’s office in late February, he thought he’d be discussing new medications for chronic back pain. Instead, he heard the words no one is ever prepared for: terminal cancer. The diagnosis—an aggressive and inoperable pancreatic cancer—came with a prognosis that shook the foundations of Doug’s world. The doctor estimated he had no more than 12 months to live.
But rather than surrender to despair, Doug made a decision that stunned his family, friends, and even his medical team: he would spend the time he had left volunteering—not just locally in his hometown of Allentown, Pennsylvania—but in every single state in the U.S.
“I don’t want to spend my last days dying,” Doug says, sitting at a café just outside of Philadelphia. “I want to spend them living—and giving.”
The Birth of a Legacy
A retired high school science teacher and lifelong community advocate, Doug has always had a deep-rooted sense of service. Over the past three decades, he’s coached little league baseball, volunteered at soup kitchens, taught adult literacy classes, and helped build homes with Habitat for Humanity.
“Volunteering always made me feel part of something bigger,” Doug explains. “When I got my diagnosis, I realized—I want my final days to be about giving, not just grieving.”
Within a week of his diagnosis, Doug sat down with his family—his wife Marlene, his two adult daughters, and his son-in-law—and laid out his plan: a yearlong road trip to volunteer in all 50 states. Every stop would be dedicated to a cause that mattered—feeding the homeless, mentoring youth, helping veterans, cleaning up parks, or simply offering kindness in whatever form was needed.
“I think we were all just stunned at first,” says Marlene, his wife of 35 years. “But once the shock wore off, we saw how clear-eyed and passionate he was. This wasn’t about distraction. This was about purpose.”
The Journey Begins
Doug began planning the trip in March with the help of friends, social media, and local nonprofits. He purchased a used camper van—now affectionately named “Hope Mobile”—and retrofitted it with basic medical necessities to help manage his symptoms on the road. His daughter created a website, Doug’s Last Mission, where supporters can track his progress, donate to causes he’s supporting, and suggest volunteer opportunities.
He launched his journey on April 2nd, starting in Delaware, where he spent a weekend helping at a food bank in Wilmington. He’s since made stops in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
Each state brings new stories. In Virginia, Doug worked with a veteran rehabilitation program, helping paint transitional housing for former servicemen and women. In South Carolina, he spent two days at an animal rescue center, feeding and bathing stray dogs.
“He showed up with this gentle smile and so much energy,” says Jasmine Herrera, a volunteer coordinator in Savannah, Georgia. “It wasn’t until the second day that he told us he was terminal. I just broke down. Here’s this man giving everything, even now.”
A Race Against Time
Traveling with terminal cancer isn’t easy. Doug faces intense fatigue, intermittent pain, and weekly check-ins with a palliative care team via telehealth. He carries with him a small arsenal of medications to manage his condition, and some mornings, it takes hours before he can even get out of bed.
But he presses on.
“I have good days and bad days,” he admits. “But even on the bad ones, if I can do something—even small—for someone else, it reminds me I’m still here. I still matter.”
Doctors have warned him the cancer may spread quickly. But Doug refuses to focus on that.
“I know how this ends. That’s not the question. The real question is, what do I do until it ends?”
Support Across the Country
Since launching his mission, Doug’s story has begun to gain national attention. A recent post on TikTok sharing his journey garnered over 3 million views, with users from every state offering volunteer opportunities, places to stay, or simply messages of love and encouragement.
“He’s a reminder of what it means to live fully,” one commenter wrote. “We’re all terminal, in a way. Doug just has the guts to live like it.”
Several organizations have reached out to sponsor parts of his trip, and a GoFundMe campaign set up by his former students has already raised over $100,000 to support travel costs, medical needs, and donations to the causes he volunteers with.
Doug has no plans of slowing down. He hopes to reach the West Coast by summer and hit Alaska and Hawaii by fall.
“I want to do this while I still can,” he says. “Each day is a gift. Each person I meet—every story I hear—it fills me up.”
More Than a Mission
For Doug, this isn’t just about crossing off states or fulfilling a bucket list. It’s about connection.
“In every state, I’m meeting people who are struggling, people who are giving, people who just need to know someone sees them,” he says. “And I get to be that person, even just for a moment.”
In an age when the world can feel increasingly divided, Doug Ruch is building a quiet bridge, one volunteer shift at a time.
“This isn’t just my story,” Doug insists. “It’s a story about how we’re all connected—and how kindness is never wasted.”
As he gets ready to head to Alabama for his next stop—working with a group that provides literacy classes to adults—he reflects on the legacy he hopes to leave behind.
“I won’t be around forever. But maybe this mission will live on. Maybe it’ll inspire someone else to get involved. To show up. To care. That’s all I want.”
And with that, Doug Ruch climbs into the Hope Mobile, engine rumbling, heart full, and mission clear: one man, one year, fifty states, and a lifetime’s worth of compassion to give.
