Community Corner

Man Honors Sister's Memory in Cross-Country Journey

Rick Lafrenaye is walking through Central Connecticut before continuing his journey from Portland, ME, to Eureka, CA, to raise money and awareness for cancer research.

As he prepares for the end of another day, Rick Lafrenaye shows little concern for the fall chill that has arrived early in New England.

The 34-year-old will spend the night in a sleeping bag, a church pavilion his only protection from the cold air moving in, before he awakens to continue his journey west. 

Nearly two months into that journey, he would lead you to believe that he's already found what he's looking for.

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"If it ends right now, it's the coolest thing I've ever done. It's already changed me," he says.

But his journey is just getting started.

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On July 25, Lafrenaye left Portland, ME — a place the Rhode Island native has called home for some time and where he has worked as a caregiver to the elderly — to embark on a cross-country walk to Eureka, CA, each step taken in memory of his late sister.

"I'd been planning on doing some traveling, to do something like this, but I also wanted to remember her."

On April 8, 1999, Cathy Lafrenaye-Cribari was just 31 years old when she lost an 18-month battle with nodular melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer. 

"She felt terribly guilty," he says about his terminally ill sister's concern for her four young children. "I remember when she got really sick, and it was imminent, she would just look at them and say 'my poor, poor babies.'"

Lafrenaye grew up looking up to his older sister, who was always by his side, but says she also 'worshiped' the sun and avoided wearing sunscreen. Today he 'lathers up' "a couple times a day."

Raising awareness is just one part of his quest. He also hopes to raise $10,000 for cancer research through the Cancer Research Institute.

"People see me with the cart and they talk to me. I give them a card or send them to the website and they donate," he explains.

To date, Lafrenaye has raised about $1,000 in donations through his website Right 2 Left. Visitors can track his whereabouts (Where's Rick?) and follow him on what he hopes will be a 4,200 mile walk across America.

You can also follow Lafrenaye's journey on Facebook and Twitter.

'It's Been A Huge Lesson In My Life'

Lafrenaye's journey nearly ended as soon as it began. Two days and 20 miles into his cross-country walk, he says his body was telling him to stop.

"It was brutal. My feet were screaming at me, my whole body hurt. I was actually sort of doubting whether or not I could make it," he says.

Walking became instantly more manageable after he picked up a small red cart to carry some of his belongings in tow.

"For such a rickety little thing it performed."

Eventually he was given a walking stick in Rhode Island, which he now carries along with a backpack stuffed with food, a small tent and a few days' worth of clothes.

"I have a a pillow case that I bring with me and I keep all of my clean clothes in there and that's my pillow, so when it starts getting low it's a really good motivator for laundry."

The next load may come in Cheshire, the next stop on his journey after he leaves Durham.

"It really depends on how the towns are spaced out, but usually [I walk] between 12 and 15 [miles a day]," he says.

He will avoid large cities, as a matter of safety, and says his route is planned about two days in advance. "The best way is to talk to locals."

Locals, Lafrenaye has discovered, have been an interesting part of his journey.

"That's another big part of the project, compassion awareness. We tend to be insulated, we tend to insulate ourselves from each other. I'm finding that as long as I'm open with people they're open to me too. For me to experience that level of compassion, it's been a huge lesson in my life.

"Just walking to Durham today, I met a man. He's like 'How far are you walking?' I walked up his driveway and he introduced himself and we ended up having coffee and playing guitar together for like two hours."

He keeps a record of his encounters in a journal, writing at least one entry a day. He hopes to one day write a book.

He'll have plenty to write about if he makes it all the way to California.

"I picked Eureka because I have cousins and an uncle out there," he says, adding that he won't rule out making the West Coast his new home once he arrives.

'I'd Like To Hike Through The Grand Canyon'

It wasn't long into his trip that Lafrenaye, a 2011 graduate of the University of Southern Maine, picked up a walking partner.

During a stay in Coventry, RI, where he sought shelter from Hurricane Irene, he says a family friend decided he'd like to come along.

"I started by myself and that was always the goal, but if my project helps him, that's great," he says about Brandon Roy, a Marine veteran who served in Iraq.

Roy eventually joined Lefrenaye in Willimantic, CT, before having to put his own journey on hold to deal with a family issue.

"He'll be back," Lafrenaye says.

When he is alone, Lafrenaye passes the time remembering his childhood, meeting strangers or sending texts to friends. He also thinks about the journey and where it might take him.

"I'd like to hike through the Grand Canyon," he says.

Wherever he walks, and whoever he meets, he's also always thinking about his sister.

"As I've been doing this I don't think I've ever been happier. She'd be happy."


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