Kevin Doyle, a Star Wars fan, just walked 645 miles to the San Diego Comic-Con in memory of his late wife, who died of cancer, and in aid of a charity that helps children suffering under chemotherapy.
Speaking of the long walk to Comic-Con, Doyle said he can just hear his wife say, “You’re such a dork.” However, he did add that his wife was a “self-proclaimed geek.”
Both artists, Kevin Doyle and his wife Eileen had been married for only one year when Eileen was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Kevin said, “Of course, with pancreatic cancer, that’s a death sentence so she knew she was going to die.”
After a 13-month battle, Eileen passed away.
According to WPTV , when the couple got married, R2D2 was their ring bearer, so it’s easy to see they were fans of the popular Star Wars movies.
Man walks 645 miles dressed as a Stormtrooper in honor of his wife #KevinDoyle http://t.co/FunxjvweEr pic.twitter.com/sFUoJlYKpU
— Star Wars Trending (@Skywalkolizer) July 8, 2015
It has been hard for Kevin since Eileen passed away on November 7, 2012, at the age of 45, and he is still grieving. He decided to make the journey on foot to Comic-Con as a “cleansing” and also to fulfill a promise that he is not going to let his wife’s memory die.
He left Petaluma, California on June 6, walking in full Stormtrooper armor and is set to arrive at Comic-Con today, July 9.
Kevin Doyle “stormtropper” walks 645 miles to #ComicCon 2 honor his late wife Eileen a Star Wars fan @CBS8 pic.twitter.com/EPnBcCWy5o
— Angie Lee (@angiecbs8) July 8, 2015
However, the long walk is not only in memory of his beloved wife, as the walk is also in aid of Eileen’s Little Angels, a foundation providing gift bags to children undergoing chemotherapy.
Dubbed the “501 Mile Walk,” Kevin set up a crowdfunding campaign on Crowdwise to benefit Eileen’s Little Angels . While the name is “501 Mile Walk,” it turns out he walked quite a bit further.
The web page tells the story of his wife Eileen and her battle with pancreatic cancer and appeals to people to sponsor the campaign to help children suffering from the effects of chemo.
At the time of writing the campaign has raised $3,910 of the hoped for $35,000. From the comments it can be seen that many of the contributors did so in memory of their own lost ones who passed away from cancer.
Of course there’s plenty to see at Comic-Con related to Star Wars , including Rey’s Speeder, as seen in the trailer for The Force Awakens.
https://instagram.com/p/45ripEkeaE/?taken-by=thatgirlcarly
According to USA Today, there’s also plenty of Star Wars- related merchandise on sale too.
Swag bag from @Petco @starwars line #SDCC awesome Chewie bag pic.twitter.com/Miol3AZfaV
— Pete at #SDCC 2015 (@ThePeteAwakens) July 9, 2015
In related news, the Inquisitr notes that there is a Hans Solo spin-off in the works, sure to keep all Star Wars fans happy and looking forward to more.
[Images: Kevin Doyle’s Crowdwise campaign ]
