How it happens6:13He has terminal cancer, so he travels the USA to voluntarily report in every state
When Doug Ruch received a cancer diagnosis in the terminal, he realized that one of his greatest regret in life was that he did not spend enough time to help other people.
“I spent so much time, you know, worked and tried to make a lot of money that I didn’t do a lot of volunteer work. I didn’t help many people,” said Ruch, 55, said How it happens Host Nil Kӧksal.
“I can’t go back and change that. All I can do is go forward with any time I still have.”
That is why the man of San Antonio, Texas, runs over the USA to voluntarily report in every state – a journey that he “died to serve”.
“Nothing to lose”
Ruch, who worked most of his life in sales, was diagnosed in 2021 prostate cancer. In January he learned that he had spread and his doctors estimated that he had 12 to 18 months to live. Then he started finding the idea for his cross-country road trip.
Eddie Gallagher, Ruchs best friend of 30 years, found it a great idea.
“I said, ‘Why not, man? Go and do it. You have nothing to lose,” said Gallagher. “I think it’s fantastic what he is doing.”
So far, Ruch has voluntarily registered with food banks, homeless accommodation, soup kitchens, retirement houses, youth centers and community centers in Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Utah.
He describes himself as a loner with a turbulent childhood that suffered from a lifelong fear, and says that the entire endeavor has made him outside of his comfort zone.
But volunteer work, he learned quickly, feels good.
“It has become calm. On days when I have volunteer missions, I feel really good and I am energized. The happy hormones flow,” he said.
Angie K. Smith, executive director of meals for charity organizations Kitchen Angels in Santa Fe, NM, says that volunteer work is not only good for the community. It is also good for the volunteer.
In fact, several studies have found connections between volunteer work or altruism as well as happiness and health.
Ruch stayed in Kitchen Angels on March 25th, and Smith said they were happy to have him.
“We absolutely (open) and appreciate our volunteers,” said Smith. “Doug is an inspiration and we support his message and we support him.”
Ruch, who collects money for his trip with Gofundme, says that he has received a lot of attention since his history started to make national and international headlines.
“It really went crazy this week. It went crazy,” he said. “I get many e -mails from media inquiries and things and they are like ‘Hey, can you pass it on to Doug?’ No, it’s Doug.
When asked whether he would consider bringing volunteers to help, Ruch insisted that he does not want to burden anyone.
But when his buddy Quan Khuu learned from Ruchs Mission, he knew that he had to stand up.
“I knew he came to California, but he wouldn’t stop in San Francisco. So I made him owe him to visit me,” said Khuu.
Khuu and a few friends then join Ruch to voluntarily get involved with Project Open Hand, an organization that provides the sick and vulnerable meals.
Khuu says he is proud of his friend.
“I am glad that he does what he did and leaves a good legacy,” he said.
Ruch now wants to make this legacy last. He says he plan to die to serve an official registered charity organization that connects people with voluntary work.
“The mission will be to inspire and educate people across the country, if not the world, in their communities, if not the world,” he said.
With “mico volunteer” he means voluntarily for a few hours. If he returns something, he doesn’t have to be a great time commitment.
“If enough people register voluntarily … three or four hours a month, it will make up a world of difference.”
