Man walks 500 miles to raise money for pancreatic cancer awareness

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois – When Blake Weber’s mother passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2020, his lifelong friend started a movement to raise money for the cause.

Mark Dowdle is on an eight-day 500-mile run from Springfield, Illinois to St. Paul, Minnesota to raise $50,000 for the ‘Love Like Laurie Legacy Foundation’ Fighting pancreatic cancer.

Blake and Mark’s friendship began on the college football field and their brotherly bond grew when Blake lost his mother in 2020.

“Whenever I said ‘I love you’ she would always answer “I love you bigger” and she wouldn’t say that to me, she would say that to my friends who came over…she really loved you even more,” Blake told Mark.

Blake’s father, John Weber, was inspired by Mark’s passion and is blessed to be fighting a fight so important to the family.

“The superhuman performance is the first thing that catches my attention. But he connected it to the journey that most cancer patients go through alone — the pain, the mental and physical struggle,” John said.

Mark shared that it all stems from the legacy they are trying to carry on.

“Everything has its roots in Laurie Weber and the influence she had on these two guys and how that affected me,” Dowdle said.

For more information on the Love Like Laurie Legacy Foundation, visit: Love Like Laurie