Cancer Survivor Paddles 2,341 Miles With His Dog

Frank Carter stood at the edge of the Missouri River with a handmade canoe and his loyal dog Amos, ready to prove that cancer doesn't have to end your dreams.

The Orange County, Florida resident had spent his 60s hiking the Appalachian Trail and cycling across America. But in 2021, after completing a 5K race, something felt wrong.

"I was wiped out. I just wasn't recovering," Carter said. Within two weeks of his doctor's visit, he was starting chemotherapy for mantle cell lymphoma, a rare blood cancer that attacks white blood cells.

Fifteen rounds of chemotherapy shrank most of the cancer but couldn't eliminate it completely. Carter turned to Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa for help.

Doctors offered him CAR T-cell therapy, an advanced treatment that takes a patient's own immune cells and genetically engineers them to hunt down cancer. "We take those T-cells, genetically engineer them by putting something called a CAR into them," explained his oncologist Dr. Michael Jain. "Now these T-cells can see the tumor and get rid of it where before the tumor was able to hide from it."

The one-time infusion worked. More than four years later, Carter remains cancer free.

During treatment, Carter's dog Amos never left his side. Once recovered, Carter decided to honor that bond with an epic adventure. He spent months building a cedar-strip canoe by hand.

Then they set off together from Montana, paddling 2,341 miles down the Missouri River to St. Louis. The journey took 64 days of camping under the stars, battling storms, high winds, and hail. But Carter and Amos made it to the end.

Why This Inspires

Carter now works with Blood Cancer United to raise money and share his story with newly diagnosed patients. His message is simple: stay positive and keep moving.

Cancer tried to stop Frank Carter's adventures, but instead it launched him on his greatest journey yet.