Thomas Cantley, a 31-year-old testicular cancer survivor, is raising awareness for testicular cancer in a very interesting way. He has decided to push a 6-foot-tall ball across the country. Not only is he raising money for cancer research, but he is also encouraging other males to go and get themselves checked for testicular cancer.

“It’s a 96 percent survival rate if caught early, so when you catch it early at stage one, it’s not progressive, it’s contained,” Cantley said to KSBW news.

Cantley started his trip on September 4, starting at his home in Santa Monica, California. He plans to make it all the way to New York. He was last spotted in New Orleans, Louisiana. Traveling over 2,000 miles, receiving 122 donated meals, and has been given 26 places to stay! He is doing quite well on his journey. He wants to make it across the country without spending any money or transportation, a place to stay, or food, hoping that people that he comes in contact with donate and help him along the way. According to Fox News, he has raised more than $2,000 and is planning on raising at least $15,000 more for the Testicular Cancer Foundation. In an interview with Cantley, he says, “I’m doing it for these people, these survivors, these young guys. I want to prove you don’t need billions of dollars or the promise of a cure to make a difference in the fight against cancer. I also want to prove community is built on compassion and kindness.”

Diagnosed with testicular cancer when he was 26, he made a long, 5 year fight for his life, he is now healthy and cancer free. Testicular cancer is a very rare type of cancer, and is deadly more than 90% of the time. It may be rare, but it kills 400 men every year. Lots of symptoms of testicular cancer go unnoticed until the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. This is why it is so dangerous. Sometimes it can be detected in early stages. It is most likely found in men ages 20 to 34, and if found at an early stage, it can be prevented from spreading. Cantley did not go in to see a doctor until it got to a later stage. He encourages all men to go and get themselves checked so that they don’t have to go through the same amount of pain that he did.