Walking from Maine to Miami for stroke victims

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- It's amazing Mycle Brandy can walk at all, much less walk as much as he does. After all, he's had four strokes.

"Four strokes. I had my first stroke in 1988," he said.

But he's come back from each one and kept going and going and going. Two years ago he decided to walk across the country to raise awareness about how to prevent strokes. He started in California, then got to his first mountain.

"And I'm standing in front of that mountain saying 'how am I going to climb that mountain?' And my wife says 'Go get 'em honey.' And that's been pretty much the thing that's carried me over many, many mountains."

It's hard to quantify the good that Mycle is doing because it's not really about dollars raised or anything like that. It's about getting the word out that we should all be doing a little more of what he's doing -- walking.

"I'm doing stuff to get people out, to get people active," Brandy said. "Just walk around the block. Walk to your mailbox today, tomorrow walk past your mailbox."

In 2010, Mycle walked from California to Washington, DC. In 2011, he walked from San Diego to Seattle. This time, he started way up on the Canadian border in Madawaska, Maine on October 1. He plans to end in Miami on February 14, his 62nd Birthday.

He keeps up a pretty good pace. "Yeah, I do about 3 miles an hour," he said.

Thanksgiving will be one of the few days he doesn't walk. He'll be in New York City serving meals to Hurricane Sandy survivors. A little ironic, since his sponsor is the "Hurry Cane" company. His route took him right by News 8, where everyone from anchor Anne Craig to photographer Joe D'addesse thanked him for having the backs of so many who have been or will be afflicted by strokes.

For more about Mycle: walkingacrossamerica.org

On Facebook: Walking Across America With Mycle Brandy