“Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for any of us and now I get to live like there isn’t one,” Doug Ruch tells PEOPLE
Doug Ruch, 55, of San Antonio, received news earlier this year that he has stage 4 prostate cancer
He has since embarked on a mission to volunteer in all 50 states
“I plan on continuing this mission even if I complete ALL 50 states as long as I have the strength to do so,” Ruch tells PEOPLE
A Texas man with terminal prostate cancer is spending the remainder of his life helping others all over the country.
Doug Ruch, of San Antonio, is currently on his “Dying to Serve” tour, in which he plans to volunteer his time to help others in all 50 states.
“This volunteer mission has already made a huge difference in my life in just over a month,” Ruch, 55, tells PEOPLE. “I’ve met and helped so many wonderful people and organizations who have left a profound impact on me and my state of mind.”
“Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for any of us and now I get to live like there isn’t one which everyone should get to experience before they move on to whatever’s next,” he adds.
In 2021, Ruch was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had been fighting the disease ever since. Speaking with The Washington Post, Ruch said that over the years, he has spent approximately $80,000 on treatment, which included external beam radiation therapy.
Then, earlier this year, he received news that the cancer had progressed to stage 4 and had metastasized. Doctors gave him 12-18 months to live.
“I thought to myself, I have two choices. I can sit at home and wait to die, or I can go out and live,” Ruch told ABC affiliate KGO. “So I decided I was going to go out and live — and that’s why I planned this 50-state tour.”
Ruch established a GoFundMe to help finance his endeavor. “My dying wish is to help as many people going through tough times as I can before I go,” he wrote in the fundraiser’s description.
“Unfortunately, due to the broken United States healthcare system, I have spent my life savings just trying to survive these last few years,” he added. “That’s why I’m asking for your support. I realize it’s a big ask as we all have our own burdens to bear but I truly believe that I can and will do much good with the time I have left.”
As of Thursday afternoon, April 24, the fundraiser has generated $67,000 in donations.
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Since the start of the tour last month, Ruch has already volunteered his time in a number of states, bagging potatoes at an Idaho food bank and serving seniors at an Oregon community center, NBC News reported.
Next on the tour, the San Antonio man will prepare and serve pay-as-you-can meals in Montana and assist a community cafe in South Dakota. Along the way, he has invited others to join him for each mission.
“I don’t want to be some pseudo-celebrity, because I’m not,” Ruch told The Washington Post. “I’m just a guy that needed to balance the scales and do some good in his life.”
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In his latest GoFundMe update, Ruch wrote that the donations have allowed him to purchase a new vehicle to take him across the country for the tour. So far, he has driven over 4,000 miles, according to the paper.
Ruch hopes that his actions will motivate others to give back.
“If I can inspire hundreds or thousands of people nationwide to volunteer, even if it’s three or four hours a month,” he told the Post, adding,“then I can die happy.”
“I feel the happy hormones and extra energy on the days I have a volunteer shift scheduled,” he says. “I plan on continuing this mission even if I complete ALL 50 states as long as I have the strength to do so.”
