Peoria man Dean Troutman, 90, walks thousands of miles to fight childhood cancer

Dean Troutman started his walk 11 days ago, stopping in Goodland, Indiana on Wednesday. He’ll be walking through 16 states including Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Missouri.

“If these aging legs hold up and donations continue to pour into St. Jude, I’m going to continue this cycle through 16 states and I’ll be back home next July or August,” Troutman said.

Troutman said he has a high donation goal of $1 million. So far, he’s raised about $16,000.

During his early walking days, Troutman ran into supporters, like Diane Brinkman.

“It’s amazing,” Brinkman said. “I don’t know that at my age I can do it, but I give him a lot of kudo because it’s a feat, especially at 90.”

This wasn’t Troutman’s first outing, but it was his longest and last. In 2014, he walked 700 miles around Illinois to raise money for Troutman Park, in memory of his late wife. He raised $70,000 to build a playground for his community.

The following year, Troutman raised $10,000 for St. Jude in Memphis. Troutman walked from Princeville, Illinois to Memphis, Tennessee.

So far, Troutman has walked about 150 miles. He said he will keep walking until he reaches his donation goal.

“If the donations keep coming in and my legs stay strong, I’ll keep walking,” he said.

To donate to Troutman’s cause, you can visit https://troutmantrek.com/ or send a donation to St. Jude at: St. Jude Challenge
Troutman Trek 4
Recipient: Alex Fountain
501 St. Jude Place
Memphis, TN 38105