SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — There’s nothing strange about thousands of fans wearing costumes at this weekend’s Comic-Con in San Diego, but a lone sci-fi-inspired stormtrooper stands out above the crowd; his heart-wrenching story having echoed with each step during his over 600-mile trek along the California coast.
The 57-year-old Minnesota stormtrooper, otherwise known as Kevin Doyle, lost his wife, Eileen, on November 7, 2012, to pancreatic cancer after they had been married for two years.
“From that day forward the sun does not rise for me, everyday is November the 7th, my candle has burned out,” Doyle wrote in a Crowdrise fundraiser he began online to benefit the non-profit he started, Eileen’s Little Angels.
“In the time since she died, I’ve struggled with how to deal with the loss. I’ve been self-destructive,” he said in a San Diego Union-Tribune story. His hope is this trek will clear his mind and inspire him to return to work as an illustrator and photographer.
“I knew that I wanted to do something that would keep her memory alive and in the hearts of all those she touched so I created Eileen’s Little Angels,” Doyle wrote online.
Funds raised will be used to create comfort items applied with his wife’s artwork. The items are meant to brighten the lives of children battling cancer. As of Sunday, Doyle raised more than $6,000 of his $35,000 goal.
Wearing his stormtrooper armor, Doyle began his walk on June 6 at a Petaluma “Star Wars” museum, Rancho Obi-Wan, started by his friend Steve Sansweet. He completed his journey on Thursday when he arrived in San Diego at his Comic-Con destination.
He and his wife shared a passion for Star Wars, Doyle wrote online. As members of the costuming organization the 501st Legion, they both participated in various fundraising activities.
Although the highway route from San Francisco to San Diego is 501 miles, the coastal route he walked is 645 miles. Along his journey, he said he has met many friendly, supportive Californians.
He plans on traveling by train as he returns to the Bay Area, but first, he has been participating in Comic-Con using a free four-day pass provided by Lucasfilm via Sansweet. And instead of continuing to sleep in his travel tent, the 501st Legion provided hotel accommodations.