Dave and Linda Fleischer are ready to hit the road for a Journey of Hope in memory of their daughter, Sarah, who passed away in 2018 from a horrible cancer, cholangiocarcinoma.

Today, they embark on what, for Dave, will be a 15,000 mile road trip across the nation and back to help raise money to support research into this disease and during which they hope to spread awareness and bring hope to patients, caregivers, and others along the way.

The road trip, in a car with a specially designed wrap promoting cholangiocarcinoma awareness, will feature visits to 15 towns named Hope, stops at various hospitals and healthcare institutions that specialize in research and treatment of the disease, and get-togethers with other patients, caregivers and healthcare providers who were important in Sarah's life.

Cholangiocarcinoma starts in the bile duct and is an incredibly deadly cancer, which afflicts about 8,000 people in the United States each year. Most of its victims are 65 or older, but Sarah was only 30 when she was diagnosed. She passed away at age 35.

And so, as they also commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, Fleischer is embarking on a 15,000 mile journey up and down and across the 48 contiguous United States.

Linda will be with Dave for the first 10 days of the trip, and then he will be on his own – except for the thousands of well-wishers and supporters he is bound to meet along the way.

“I intend to honor the memory of my daughter, Sarah,” says Dave. “Sarah would have loved to do this trip with me.” The journey is scheduled to end June 29 or July 1, depending on circumstances.

The trip is being supported by the Foundation, which has made the specially designed Honda SUV available for the journey. Sponsors are Incyte, Ken Garff Honda, QED Therapeutics, Servier, Taiho Oncology, Welch’s Fruit Snacks and Zymeworks.

And now, let’s talk with Dave Fleisher as he gets set for the Journey of Hope.