As I write this, I am sitting in stillness for the first time in a while. I’ve been walking across America for nearly 200 days, and I admit I’m itching to get back onto the open road. I loved the walk — meeting new people, seeing the hidden corners of America, and learning her stories.
But the doctors have made it plain that I cannot walk anymore. When I had my first surgery to remove a painful growth called a pyogenic granuloma from my heel, I thought I was good to go. However, that growth came back with a vengeance in the same spot and had to be removed again. To keep pushing would mean risking profound damage to my foot.
The road to Los Angeles, which began on Sept. 1, 2025, in New York City, is a journey I will not finish on foot. Many of you have walked every step of this with me in spirit, and my heart is broken…