Local veteran and amputee trains for intense 22-mile hike for children’s cancer

PARKVILLE, Mo. - A local veteran is training for a one-day, 22-mile hike to fight children's cancer. But this is no ordinary walk.

While serving as an Infantry Team Leader for the US Army in Iraq, Drew Edwards lost his left leg after an IED exploded and destroyed the armored vehicle he was traveling in.

“Sure, you feel bitter about it at first,” Edwards said. “But then you realize you need to get on with life. I prefer a more positive approach.”

Shortly after returning to Missouri, Edwards says his family endured more heartbreak. His uncle and his wife, Brian and Bev Weber, lost their daughter Lucy to a rare cancer.

Faced with wanting to do something to give back, Edwards connected with the hike which will benefit Cure Search.  The organization is important to the Weber family.

He admits hiking with a prosthetic leg can be difficult, but it’s a challenge he’s willing to endure.

"Just the pain that she and her parents went through,” he said. “This walk is nothing compared to that."

Proceeds from the hike will go to Cure Search, which works to find cures for rare childhood cancers.  For more information on Edwards’ hike, visit his fundraising web page .

For more information on Cure Search, visit www.curesearch.org