Father Travels Route 66 In Honor Of Young Son

A father's loss takes him through miles of countryside to help others on the same path.

Mark Linder is bicycling and seeing the sights along the entire stretch of Historic Route 66 in honor of his son.

“Kevin was unbelievably strong and never gave up, never wanted to quit,” said Mark Linder, Kevin’s father.

Linder’s son Kevin was diagnosed with cancer just before he turned three years old.

“It was every parent’s worst nightmare,” he said. “It was just continuous body blows that we had to absorb.”

Battling cancer for three and half years, Kevin beat the disease twice.

“The third time it came back it was just too strong,” he said.

Kevin passed away at the age of six.

“Through the treatments, we got three and a half bonus years with Kevin,” Linder said.

Now wanting to help others, the family turned to the Mother Road.

“My son Kevin was obsessed with the movie “Cars” which is based loosely off Route 66,” he said.

“We watched it on a loop in the hospital.”

It's this love of the animated movie that inspired Linder to travel the historic roadway on his bicycle.

“It's incredible, it's a way to connect with him,” Linder said of his son. “I've been talking to him and singing with him talking to the cows along the way and that kind of a thing.”

Beginning in Chicago, Linder took off on the 2,492-mile journey, with the goal of raising $10 per mile.

“It's been fantastic just to see all the different things and all the cool tourist stuff you know here at Pops and the Round Barn just up the street,” he said.

The money will go to two pediatric cancer organizations, DC Strong and CureSearch. At nearly $8,000 so far, he's still got a long way to go to get to his $24,492 goal. However, he’s confident he’ll get there.

“Obviously, cancer is not something that anybody wants, or anybody would wish on anyone else but there are some people that are willing to help along the way and if we can raise a little bit of money to help others, I think it's fantastic,” he said.

Linder hopes to finish his trek, arriving in Santa Monica, California by July 20. If you would like to donate or follow Linder’s journey through his blog, visit the Cruising For Kids With Cancer site here.