Cancer Survivor Tackles 138-Mile Hike for 7th Year

When Tom Walsh from Worcester, New York, survived Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and a life-threatening bout of pneumonia in 2018, he decided his second chance at life meant something bigger. On August 1, 2026, he'll lace up his boots for his seventh annual charity hike, tackling 138 miles of the Northville-Placid Trail.

Tom credits Bassett Healthcare Network with saving his life not once, but twice. While fighting lymphoma, he landed in the ICU with severe pneumonia that threatened to end his battle before it even finished.

Slowly, he rebuilt his strength until he could return to the trails he loved. "I feel I'm here for a reason," Tom says simply. "Part of that is to be with my family and the other part is to help people."

This year's two-week trek holds special meaning. Tom is completing unfinished business by hiking the same trail he conquered in 2025, just in the opposite direction.

He has three clear goals driving every step: raise money, spread awareness, and push his own limits. "The first one I did, I'd never done anything like that in my life before," he reflects. "It was a true challenge."

Why This Inspires

Tom isn't just walking for himself. Every dollar he raises this year gets split between two causes close to his heart: Otsego Outdoors, which connects people with nature's healing power, and the Bob Simon & Loretta Anagnost Patient Assistance Fund.

That fund covers the hidden costs of cancer treatment that insurance won't touch. Prescriptions, gas money for appointments, groceries when you can't work. The expenses that pile up when you're already fighting for your life.

Tom knows these struggles personally. Now he turns each footstep into hope for someone else facing the same mountain he climbed.

For seven years running, Tom has shown that surviving cancer isn't the end of the story. It's just the trailhead.