Challenges and camaraderie

Joe DeLamielleure is walking to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Golden Anniversary Reunion. His Pounding the Pavement for Prosthetics Walk from Buffalo to Canton is to raise awareness and support for the GRACE’S LAMP organization that deals with young children who grow out of their prosthetic legs but cannot afford the high cost of new adult prosthetic legs. Read story>>> | Support Grace’s Lamp>>>

7:50 p.m. ET

My feet hurt but other than that, all is going well. Starting off was kind of brutal. I went 4½ hours straight before taking a break. It was hot but some rain and thunderstorms blew in and cooled things down a bit.

I was in the middle of nowhere today. I think during one stretch, I walked 11 miles and only saw about 20 cars.

Eljay, my good friend, keeps me going in the right direction and rerouted me because of construction. He also is great at finding us somewhere to eat during my breaks!

I continue to hear from Hall of Famers. Today, Chris Doleman, Chris Hanburger and Bart Starr called to give me words of encouragement. Now, all of these guys are great but I was just thrilled to hear from Bart.

As I said in one of my earlier blogs, I’m just a football fan like you. So, I grew up watching Bart Starr and the Green Bay Packers. In the pecking order of life, Bart is right up there at the top!

Hearing from guys keeps me going. Thanks Chris, Chris, and Bart.

I’m from a big family. I’m number 9 of 10 and I have six kids of my own. We’re a very close-knit family. So, my phone’s ringing throughout the day. Thanks to everyone for the support. It makes these long days manageable. It’s almost spiritual out here as I keep walking by myself. I have a lot of time to think. Heck, I’ve been talking to myself and getting to a point where I'm answering back!

I am getting excited about arriving in Canton. I want to get home; 10 days on the road is a long time.

All in all, this has been such a great experience. I’ve always missed football. I’ve missed the challenge and the camaraderie of the game. This walk kind of represents both of those. It definitely is a challenge walking 20 miles a day. Even more of a challenge in this heat! And, having my cell phone ringing so much with calls from family, friends, former teammates, and so many Hall of Famers brings back that element of camaraderie.

And, I have to finish today’s blog with a special thank you to Dan Reel of Reel’s Auto Sales. He gave me the great recommendation of the Turkey BLT at Chicago’s Pizza today for lunch! It was great. More importantly, I thank Dan for adding a post to their Facebook page to encourage people to donate!