Unlike Jules Vernes’s protagonist in his novel “Around the World in 80 Days,” Landon Cooper, the creator of the nationally recognized Miles 2 Give foundation, used only two methods of transportation: four wheel drive and his feet to cover similar ground. Together, alongside two strangers, Cooper ran from San Francisco, California to Ocean City, Maryland in 157 days to raise awareness and money for one of the rarest forms of cancer, Ewings Sarcoma. Cooper also founded a non-profit organization called Miles 2 Give that raises funds for Sarcoma cancer research.
“Sarcoma is a cancer of the connective tissue (i.e., bones, muscles, fat, nerves, and tendons) that affects approximately 12,000 Americans each year. In adults, sarcoma represents one percent of all newly diagnosed cancers. It is more prevalent among young adults and children, accounting for about 15% of all pediatric cancers,” explains Cooper’s website, www.miles2give.org.
On November 19, Cooper shared his story at Jesuit by showing everyone a video of his trek as well as talking about his life up to present day. His words inspired both teachers and students alike.
Cooper didn’t grow up planning to run across the United States in order to raise money for a deadly disease. He was born of two loving parents, his mother a dancer and his father a drummer. Cooper would go on tours with his father, help him set up for venues, and watch him drum it out onstage. However, his parents divorced when he was 6 years old.
He stumbled upon soccer. With soccer, he learned and excelled in the art of running. At 15, Cooper had the crazy idea of running across the USA, almost as if he were Forrest Gump. However, he decided to focus his efforts on his soccer playing skills and went on to play division 2 soccer in college. After attending university, Cooper played semi-pro soccer for 7 seasons, but he wasn’t living the life he thought he deserved.
In addition to his soccer career, Cooper worked at bars, restaurants, and nightclubs over a period of 10 years which took him to places such as the Vegas Strip, Sunset Boulevard, the Phoenix Desert, and more. Finally, Cooper received a job offer in 2009 from the Phoenix Coyotes for managerial and public relations purposes. He accepted the offer and quickly started in his new position, unknowing of the events that lay ahead of him.
While working in Phoenix, Cooper met a young woman named Ashley Davis who was working by the hour. At a mere 23 years of age, she went from looking healthy to deteriorating right before his eyes. Cooper was witnessing his friend unable to lift her foot and walk.
It was all because of a mysterious bump on her leg the size of a nickel. However, Ashley went to the doctor too late. On November 28th, 2009, Ashley was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma Cancer in her hometown of Peoria, Arizona.
Wishing that there were something he could do to comfort her, Cooper and a few work members and friends decided to run a local marathon in her honor on Valentine’s Day, 2010. On their faces, each person wrote ‘4 AD’ meaning ‘For Ashley Davis.’ At the end of the race, Cooper and his friends placed the medals around her neck and gave her the race bib, comforting her by explaining that she will beat the cancer.
“Through many promising ups and well battled downs, she eventually lost her battle and died on April 6, 2011,” comments Cooper about Ashley’s passing. “Ashley had an immediate impact on me. She had a vibrant spirit that could fill a room with her smile and a positive attitude that could change any scene.”
Despite this bump in the road, life had to go on. Cooper moved back to Hollywood and received more job offers from top names such as Rolling Stone magazine. Amidst the job offers and recent events in Arizona, Cooper sat down and began to rethink his life. He wished to reconnect to the world and make a difference.
He had arrived at a decision. “On November 15, 2012, I walked away from a 10-year well-traveled industry career. I also walked away from a lifestyle of many sunrises and many dead ends. I created Miles 2 Give (M2G) to honor everyone around the world who has also been affected by Sarcoma. What more could be done?”
The great running tour began February 14, 2013, in San Francisco with their toes in the frigid Pacific waters. The end lay 3,187 miles away in Ocean City, Maryland. At the start of the trek, Cooper met two complete strangers, Ryan Priest and John McKay, who were in San Francisco to run for the same reason, to raise money and awareness for Sarcoma. The thee young men rented a 240 square-foot Winnebago in which to live for the five month journey ahead of them.
The trio ran about 21 miles per day across tough terrain and roads through whatever weather Mother Nature brought their way. Cooper visited countless research laboratories from ocean to ocean. He has met some of the most brilliant and respected minds in sarcoma research.
Each day, Priest, McKay, and Cooper would write a name of one of the 207 warriors who were battling Ewings Sarcoma, take pictures of themselves, and then write messages to each of the warriors on the paneling of the RV, or the Victory Bus.
‘”This needs a global approach. We will never say no, no matter how tired we are. These cancer warriors are fighting day and night, so we will continue to run for them,”‘ said Cooper in an interview with the Northwest Florida Daily News.
The team completed their trek on July 20, 2013, 157 days later. According to the Northwest Florida Daily News, ‘”The reaction was overwhelming,” said Ryan Bonhardt, online director with Miles 2 Give. “People drove 15 hours just to be at the finish. … What we’ve done and the money we raised makes us one of the top three for raising funds for sarcoma.”‘
Most of the days, the three men would run in honor of complete strangers whom they heard about through talk and emails. For example, Cooper, McKay, and Priest heard about Anna Basso, and dedicated one of their runs to her.
Anna Basso was diagnosed in November 2009 with Ewing’s Sarcoma. She fought through chemotherapy and radiation treatments and emerged victorious. After facing a devastating relapse, she battled once more. Although Anna was able to graduate from John Paul II High School she passed away on June 8th, 2011. Her parents, David and Carol Basso, as well as her sister, Patrice, created 1 Million for Anna (1M4A) in order to raise money for cancer awareness and research for kids and adults alike suffering from Ewings Sarcoma.
At Jesuit, sophomore Brendan Lyden started the Jesuit chapter of 1M4A. Lyden and Mrs. Basso worked together to allow Cooper to talk about his achievements at Jesuit, which he did during two lunch periods on Nov. 19. More than 70 students attended the presentations.
At the end of the second presentation, yearbook photographers Sam Veatch ’14 and Thomas Salyer ’14 snapped photos of Cooper, showing off his new Jesuit t-shirt, and all of the students who attended the presentation. Even Principal Mr. Tom Garrison was taking pictures with his iPhone!
Cooper was here in Dallas for a week. He has visited several schools and businesses making the same presentation. At each of his presentations, he previewed the documentary that was based off his tremendous trek, called “Pursuit to Give and Inspire.” It will become available on January 14, 2014. In addition, while here in Dallas, he met with some of the top cancer doctors at UT Southwestern Medical School.
The Roundup and the Jesuit community would like to extend many thanks to Mr. Landon Cooper for his presentations and all the work he has done for cancer awareness and research, and inspiring everyone he meets. To learn more about 1 Million for Anna or Miles 2 Give, please visit: https://www.1million4anna.org/ and http://miles2give.org/.
