When Jim Hickey lost his father and nearly his brother to cancer within the span of a year in 1996, his life changed forever.

He moved out of his apartment, sold his car, quit his job and began a journey from New York to Los Angeles on foot with only a giant backpack filled with water, food, money and clothes in an attempt to bring awareness to cancer.

Hickey, a former Marine and current Fort Collins resident, has continued walking for 24 years, for those who can’t — three times the length of the United States, and soon, a 108-mile hike from the State Capitol in Wyoming to the one in downtown Denver.

But this time it’s for 21-year-old Justin Smithey, who’s fighting inoperable brain cancer, a diagnosis that came in September.

“When I heard his story, I decided I was going to walk, because he needs a lot of help, and his family needs a lot of help,” Hickey said.

At noon on Friday, after finishing his untraditional breakfast of champions consisting of a quart of milk and a container of donuts, Hickey, along with a one-man support team, will begin a 12- to 13-mile-a-day journey from Cheyenne to Denver.

“For a stranger to do something like this for me and my family, it definitely gave me some confidence, and made me realize that there are people out there who just want to help others,” Smithey said.

Smithey, who is an electrician by day and considered an outdoorsman by his family and friends, began to experience panic attack-like symptoms earlier this year, and eventually began viewing the world cross-eyed, and sought medical assistance.

After being brought to the emergency room at McKee Medical Center, doctors “assumed he was trying to get pain killers,” and sought a second opinion, said Taryn Yost, Smithey’s mother.

“I took him to a different hospital after that and they immediately took him to get an MRI, where they found a tumor in his brain,” Yost said.

Smithey was rushed to UCHealth at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora for surgery to remove some fluid oozing from the tumor.

On Nov. 30, Smithey finished radiation therapy, which has left him with seizures every day.

Although Hickey never imagined he’d still be walking and supporting someone who was diagnosed over 24 years after the passing of his brother; he keeps on moving.

“I didn’t think I’d still be doing this at this stage of my life. I figured it’d take six months to walk (from New York) to California and just hoped people would hear about this and donate to the City of Hope in LA,” he said.

“But then God had other plans, and I continued meeting people and families that needed support, so I kept walking.”

Despite never making it to his final destination on that first journey because he broke his leg and his mother died, such hurdles have kept him going rather than stopped him, Hickey said.

“I try to tell myself I’m done, and then I hear about somebody else who needs support, and it makes me keep going,” Hickey said.

Hickey’s current goal is to bring awareness to Smithey’s ongoing battle and to help send him to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, which will cost the family $5,000 just to walk through the doors.

When Amanda O’Leary, Smithey’s childhood friend, learned about the immense cost the family faced, she said she couldn’t sit back and not do anything.

“His mom was actually in the process of closing on a house when they learned about Justin’s cancer, so she had to back out to help pay for his treatment. I knew just how expensive something like this can cost,” said O’Leary.

So in an attempt to assist the family, she launched a GoFundMe page that has received over $5,100 in donations as of Wednesday, but the family is in need of much more to cover the cost at the Mayo Clinic.

As Smithey continues his battle with cancer, his family and friends say he remains upbeat and positive that he will come out on top.

And Hickey’s act of selflessness has boosted their morale, confidence and restored their faith in humanity.

“I was excited somebody was willing to do this for him and honestly could not believe it,” said Yost.

Depending on how Smithey feels on Friday, he hopes to see his highway warrior off on his mission, then join him in Denver when he finishes in a couple of weeks.

But regardless if Smithey has a good or awful day, his battle with cancer will never bring his spirits down.

“It’ll only make me stronger!” Smithey said, the rise of his voice and the tears in his eyes speaking for his unspoken will.