Issaquah man walks across state for the elderly
Jul 24, 2012, 10:07 PM | Updated: Jul 25, 2012, 10:05 am
An Issaquah nursing home chaplain is expected to finish a
week-long journey across Washington state Wednesday; an
effort to raise money for much-needed renovations to the
facility.
Johann Neethling, 65, walked from Spokane to Monroe as of
Tuesday night, and departed for the last leg of his
journey to Issaquah early Wednesday morning. He was joined
by his daughter, 39-year-old Maria Henderson, and his
wife, Anne.
Anne, who acted as the support driver, said her husband
and daughter walked 30 to 35 miles each day and stopped in
towns such as Wilbur, Coulee City and Waterville to rest.
Late Tuesday, she told 97.3 KIRO FM about the generosity
of those they met along the way.
“It has just been wonderful,” she said. “We would go into
a cafe in the morning to have breakfast […] and people
would [say], ‘Oh no, you don’t have to pay.’ It was just
wonderful. The kindness of people was quite overwhelming.”
Johann Neethling began work as a chaplain at Providence
Marianwood in Issaquah in 2007, shortly after suffering a
heart attack. Motivated to improve his health and fitness
while helping those at the nursing home, Neethling planned
the fundraiser to upgrade areas of the facility.
“It just truly touches us in a deep, deep place that he
would go to these lengths and put in this much effort to
honor the people who live and work here,” said Arlene
Carter, executive director of the foundation at Providence
Marianwood, a non-profit nursing home that cares for
elderly individuals who can no longer pay for such
services.
Neethling has already raised nearly $7,000 during his
walk, which began on July 18. He hopes to reach his goal
of $10,000 by the time he arrives in Issaquah. You can donate here.
Anne said the final stretch will be a difficult one,
although Neethling and his daughter have been able to keep
each other going.
“Their spirits and their hearts were positive,” she said.
“They would walk along singing, joking, [and] reminiscing
on Maria’s childhood stories.”
Neethling has developed several severe blisters during the
walk, his wife said, and was taken to an emergency room
for treatment Tuesday morning.
