MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A childhood dream is now becoming a reality and with a purpose as Ethan Guo takes on a sky-high mission for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
The 19-year-old is on his way to complete a 50,000 mile, seven continent journey around the world to raise $1,000,000 for the hospital.
“No one really took me seriously,” Guo said.
From very early on, the Floridian wanted to take his goal to the sky, after he witnessed how cancer impacted his family time and time again.
“My grandpa, my grandma and people all within my family, my aunts, have all gotten cancer," Guo said. "I wanted to positively contribute within my whole scope of abilities.”
When he became a teenager, he got to work and began doing everything he could to accomplish this feat, but it was not easy. On top of finding a way to train, Guo tried every avenue he could to find people and companies willing to back him.
“I’m like, ‘Hey guys! I’m 13. I wanna do this!’" Guo said. "And most of the time they’d just ignore me.”
By the time Guo was 17, he flew to the 48 contiguous United States. He was not going to let anything stop him. Even when technical trouble put previous attempts on hold.
“At that time, I didn’t know how bad it was," Guo recalled. "The mechanics looked at it, and they told me, ‘Hey man, this is a catastrophic engine failure.”
The teen continued to remain strong, backed by his family and his childhood dream to help get cancer treatment to the families who need it. During his travels, Guo plans to stop at St. Jude research sites around the world, including in Egypt, New Delhi and China.
“I want to showcase St. Jude’s partners around the world…It’s not just about the treatment, it’s about the community, it’s about the support, it’s about the belief," Guo said. "I’m really here just to show a different perspective, to bring light to a part that’s often overlooked.”
You can follow along and donate to Guo's journey using THIS LINK.