A doctor who lives in the Valley is visiting all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums to raise awareness for patient and caregiver safety.
Dr. Dave Mayer says his two passions in life are advocating for those in the healthcare system and baseball.
So when the coronavirus pandemic hit, he says he knew he wanted to do something to bring awareness to the challenges those in hospitals are facing.
Dr. Mayer says he was inspired by the movie Forrest Gump, where Tom Hanks conducts a cross-country walk.
He started going on walks every day and is racking up enough miles to have "virtually" walked across the U.S.
He says so far, he’s walked over 1,200 miles and has gone through eight pairs of walking shoes.
“People said why didn’t you wait until next year and maybe you’d be able to get in the park and see games,” Dr. Mayer said. “I say, I’m 67. I don’t know what next year will bring health-wise, plus the pandemic is putting an urgency on these issues and challenges my colleagues are facing on the front lines.”
On Saturday, he walked seven miles to Chase Field, in honor of local healthcare workers and first responders who lost their lives due to COVID-19.
To learn more about Dr. Mayer’s journey, you can follow him on Twitter @WalkForPtSafety.