Terminally ill man embarks on 'Dying to Serve Tour,' traveling to all 50 states to volunteer
When 55-year-old Texas man Doug Ruch was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2021, he was ready to fight.
But having spent the last few years spending his life savings on treatment, he got the devastating news in January of 2025 that his cancer had metastasized and was now categorized as stage 4.
His doctor said he could undergo chemotherapy and potentially extend his life for another two years, or pass on treatment and face a life expectancy of 12-18 months.
“I thought to myself, I have two choices. I can sit at home and wait to die, or I can go out and live,” Ruch told Los Angeles news station KABC.
Ruch volunteers in Norman, Oklahoma. Photo courtesy of Doug Ruch“I’m naturally a joyful person,” he added on a GoFundMe fundraiser, “and not even the reality that I’m dying sooner than most will change that.”
Rather than see it as a death sentence, Ruch decided to take the news as a call to action.
“My dying wish is to help as many people going through tough times as I can before I go,” he continued on GoFundMe.
With this in mind, he launched his “Dying To Serve” tour across North America, with a goal to visit and volunteer in all 50 states.
Ruch volunteers at a food bank in Meridian, Idaho. Photo courtesy of Doug Ruch“I can’t go back, but I can go forward and help as many people as possible before I go,” Ruch told The Guardian.
Ruch launched a GoFundMe to help support his efforts, setting an initial goal of $42,000. Once he had enough to get started, he moved out of his home, packed all of his belongings into his 2017 Chevrolet Malibu in March, and headed on his way.
On his website, he shares the stops he has completed, as well as upcoming volunteer plans — many of which are in food pantries, soup kitchens, senior centers, shelters, and other charity organizations.
To date, he has raised over $52,000 to fuel the tour.
Ruch volunteers in Pueblo, Colorado. Photo courtesy of Doug Ruch“Unfortunately, due to the broken United States healthcare system, I have spent my life savings just trying to survive these last few years,” he wrote on GoFundMe.
“That’s why I’m asking for your support. I realize it’s a big ask as we all have our own burdens to bear but I truly believe that I can and will do much good with the time I have left.”
Recently, he shared that the generous support would allow him to register Dying to Serve as a nonprofit, ideally to “inspire volunteerism long after I’m gone.”
About a month into the tour, Ruch has driven more than 4,000 miles, sleeping at hotels and Airbnbs, and attempting to keep each stay around $100.
Ruch's upcoming Dying to Serve tour schedule.The cancer still takes a toll on his comfort. He needs to pause the road trip to relieve himself every hour, and after facing exhaustion, he now schedules one volunteer shift roughly every three days, according to The Washington Post.
Regardless, he told The Post that he wakes up on volunteer days “so happy,” like he was “shot out of a cannon.”
Ruch sticks to a mocked-up schedule, which resembles that of a touring indie artist or sports team’s seasonal itinerary. He signs up for volunteer shifts through JustServe, VolunteerMatch, or other similar platforms.
As of April 15, he has volunteered in 13 states. And some folks in local communities come out to join him.
Ruch and a fellow volunteer in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Photo courtesy of Doug RuchHe told The Guardian that four people joined him at his stop in San Francisco after hearing his story, and that he wants nothing more than for more people to heed his call to do good as he continues on his tour.
“Help people and inspire more people to help people,” Ruch told The Guardian was his dying wish. “That’s it. That’s all.”
“If Dying to Serve can help inspire thousands of people to volunteer per year,” he added on GoFundMe, “my story will end happily.”
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Header image courtesy of Doug Ruch