UW employee will walk the state to promote cancer awareness

Ron Reschke is a haunted man. The story behind that situation is more tear-jerker than nightmare, however.

“I worked as a firefighter for the United States Forestry Department in California and Washington state during the 1980s,” Reschke says. “My supervisor took me under his wing, taught me a work ethic, was kind of a mentor to me.”

A few years into the job, the supervisor discovered that he had cancer. “He thought it was melanoma, but it turned out to be stomach cancer,” Reschke says. The supervisor died about four years ago. “He’s always in the back of my head.”

These days, Reschke works as a transport driver for UW Hospital and Clinics, toting pharmaceuticals and records around town. However, between Friday, April 29, and the middle of July, Reschke will be on leave from his job to log more than 1,000 miles as he walks the state to raise money for cancer awareness and the UW Comprehensive Cancer Center (UWCCC).

“It’s my way of saying ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye’ to my old supervisor,” he says. Consequently, Reschke says he is taking his Walk to Heal very seriously. Its planning began about two years ago. “I made a list of things that needed to be done. The important thing is not to lose sight of the message,” he says.

Reschke says that some 20,000 Wisconsinites are diagnosed with some form of cancer every year. As he makes his way around the state, he wants to emphasize the importance of diet and exercise in the prevention and treatment of the disease.

“Anyone can help with this,” he says. “When I started this project, I thought to myself, I’m not rich. I’m not famous. But I can walk.”

And walk he will: After leaving Madison on April 29, he will trek his way to La Crosse (May 6), Eau Claire (May 14), Ashland (May 29), Rhinelander (June 15), Wausau (June 21), Green Bay (June 28), Appleton (July 1), Sheboygan (July 8), Milwaukee (July 14) and back home to Madison (July 23).

“I’m looking at the schedule as a day-by-day undertaking. If I were to look at it as a big picture, I’d be completely overwhelmed,” he says.

An avid hiker and bicyclist and “always up for a good adventure,” Reschke will encourage people he meets along the way to join the cause. One hundred percent of the proceeds and donations from the event will go to escalating the battle against cancer at the UWCCC. As things stand, some 55 people have registered for the walk on its Web site, http://www.walktoheal.org.

Reschke came to Madison from the Pacific Coast “to see what else is out there,” he says. “Firefighting is hard and dangerous. It’s a young man’s game, and they often don’t have enough experience to do the job safely. The last year I worked for the Forestry Service, three members of the regional division I worked in were dead.”

Although he doesn’t work with cancer patients directly, Reschke sees a good many of them come and go as he picks up his cargo and drops it off.

“You just know they have cancer,” he says. “There was one little girl I saw last week. She was eating an ice cream cone and had the biggest smile on her face.” Reschke doesn’t say anything for a beat or two. “I’ve been lucky — I’ve never been seriously ill. And I figured, this is something I can do for these patients.”

To join the Walk to Heal, or for more information about it, visit the aforementioned Web site. For information on UW’s cancer treatment and diagnostic services, visit http://www.cancer.wisc.edu.