Erik Bendl is using his holiday vacation to raise awareness about diabetes.
He’s walking from Tampa to Naples over the next week.
Bendl’s mother lost her life to diabetes, and now his mission is to help others escape the same fate.
Bendl walks every mile with his dog Nice. A giant globe rolls along beside them the entire way.
“I’m trying to save the world one diabetic at a time,” Bendl said.
The globe is used to get people’s attention. It stands over 6 feet tall.
Bendl encourages everyone he meets along the way to exercise and live a healthy lifestyle. He says just a short walk a day will do the trick.
But Bendl’s walks aren’t all that short. He’s stepped foot in 42 states so far, walking more than 6,000 miles. His 9-year-old dog reminds Bendl when to take breaks from the heat.
Bendl lives in Louisville, Kentucky. He won’t be home on Christmas, though. He’ll be finishing up his walk to Naples.
It’s all worth it though, Bendl says, when someone gets the message.
“Every now and then someone will get a hold of me and say you’ve inspired me to get out and walk,” Bendl said.