Pacing Parson Crosses Finish Line in Silver Spring: Photos

Ahead of his 80th birthday, Don Stevenson, a Seattle-area retired minister and former U.S. Marine, completed a four-month, 3,000-mile cross-country walk to raise awareness and money for the Pulmonary Hypertension Association in Silver Spring, according to a news release.

Yesterday, Stevenson Walked the slowest and final yards of his journey joined by PHA support group patients and caregivers, some of whom struggle to breathe and require oxygen or daily medication to get around.

PH is a debilitating disease that affects the functioning of the heart and can lead to death from heart failure. There is no cure and PH is often misdiagnosed as asthma or other less life-threatening diseases. Without treatment, the average survival rate is 2.8 years after diagnosis.

During his walk, he clocked up to 30 miles each day, taking Sundays off to rest. Stevenson’s journey for PHA is his 20th long-distance charity walk since 1998 to raise money and awareness for medical causes he supports, earning him the nickname, The Pacing Parson.

PHA has been chronicling Stevenson’s journey on social media and online here.