ORLANDO, Fla. – A Houston, Texas, family says they are picking up where their 8-year-old daughter left off. She died in 2013 while on a Make-a-Wish trip at Disney World. This weekend, the family arrives after their cross-country trek.
The Cobb family has been walking for nearly a year, nearly 4,000 miles. The Cobbs are walking from Disneyland in Anaheim, California to Disney World in Orlando.
"I hope that our walk alone sends a message to people that there's life after tragedy," said Jonathan Cobb. Tragedy came in the form of cancer. Jonathan is a cancer survivor, but in 2013, his daughter, Julia passed away from Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer that primarily affects children and young adults.
"We wanted to pick Disneyland to Disney World as a way to honor the journey Ju made," said her mother, Jennifer Cobb.
The Cobb family is currently in The Villages after leaving Ocala. People have been able to track them on their website, JuCan Foundation. Ju stands for Julia and Can is the first three letters of cancer, but now mean "Conquer, Advocate, Next generation."
ONLINE: Help support the JuCan Foundation
While in each city, the family has visited others affected by cancer and raised money to help put a stop to it. Just days ago, the family arrived to their 14th state, Florida. They took photos at University of Florida Shands Hospital and were greeted by Ocala's city leaders.
'If I can finish this, then Ju would be proud of me," said her brother. The family is slated to arrive at Disney World on Father's Day weekend.
Families have been sponsoring the JuCan Foundation along the way, their goal is to raise $413,000.