A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Earlier this year, Doug Ruch was told his prostate cancer had spread. He was given about a year to live. His dying wish - to help people by volunteering in all 50 states.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
He started a volunteer tour he calls dying to serve. So far, he's made 18 stops in 16 states. Ruch spoke to us about his diagnosis and how he's resolved to spend his remaining time.
DOUG RUCH: I really was given two options, you know, seek heavy treatment, heavy chemo, radiation, surgery, possibly, and maybe only gain six months out of my life because this small cell prostate cancer is very aggressive. In my mind, the choices I was given was 18 to 24 months of misery or eight to 12 months plus of going out and living my life. I've spent the last, you know, 30-plus years chasing the dollar. And what's suffered is my humanity. I didn't spend enough time with friends and loved ones that I should have. You know, I was working 60 hours a week. I just realized I hadn't helped enough people.
So once I realized that, then it was just a matter of what I was going to do. And at first, it was just maybe go help the hurricane victims in North Carolina. Then it was see if I can also go help the fire victims in California. And then once I really started thinking about it, I'm like, well, why should I limit this to two states? There's so much I haven't done and seen in this country that maybe I can try and do them all. I know it's very ambitious, but that's when I came up with the Dying to Serve tour.
I volunteered at several food pantries where I was helping stock or, you know, helping the clients check out food banks, where I would help pull orders for the other organizations that get their food from the banks. It's not about the cancer anymore. It's about a legacy of volunteering and specifically micro-volunteering. What I'm learning is these wonderful organizations I'm volunteering for, they would have their needs completely filled if more people would just volunteer three or four hours a month. A month, that's it. I want to get the word out and inspire and encourage people to volunteer for a few hours a month. And if enough people do it, it will make a drastic difference. This country is so divided right now. I just think that if more people gave of themselves, we'd find more common ground.
MARTIN: That's Doug Ruch. He calls his volunteer tour Dying to Serve.
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