Over the course of 10 days, University of Massachusetts Boston teammates Andrew Walker and Jacob Adkins traveled nearly 900 miles on rollerskates from Boston to Lansing, Michigan, as they raised money for the American Cancer Society.
The men departed from Massachusetts on July 13 — keeping supporters up to date with their travels on their “Men in Blades” Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube pages — and by July 23, announced they had reached their final destination.
Walker and Adkins, who are also roommates at UMass Boston, explained on their GoFundMe page — which has raised over $24,000 — that they started this journey as a way to raise money for people who were affected by cancer amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Both men were also personally impacted by cancer, with Adkins’ mother, Ali, being a two-time Lymphoma survivor and in remission since 2015. Walker’s grandfather died following a cancer battle.
After embarking on the journey in mid-July, the athletes continued to document their progress, posting daily updates and photos of them along the route.
Some of the photos featured them making stops at the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge in Cleveland, Progressive Field in Cleveland, entering Ohio and Bulls Bridge in Kent, Connecticut, as well as meeting with the Mayor of Centerville, Pennsylvania.