Meet Luke Richardson

Yesterday, Luke Richardson and his two dogs, Hudson and Murphy, who are walking across the country to raise awareness for canine cancer, paid a visit to Penn's vet school where they met with the head of the oncology department and a leading researcher. It was the first time I had met Luke, although I have chatted with him on the phone and via email, and it was a most remarkable day. He is truly a man on a mission who has found his life's work.

The new buzz word for Luke is comparative oncology and it is basically the concept that cancer is cancer. That is, the cancer that effects dogs is the same cancer that effects people. It may manifest in different ways but it is the same disease. Following this logic, it makes perfect sense that if you find a cure for canine lymphoma, for example, one for human lymphoma is not far behind.

Therefore, funding research in animal oncology is also funding research in human oncology, even though very few actually do so. In fact cancer in animals usually moves more quickly than cancer in humans because their life spans are shorter so funding cancer research in animals is cost effective and efficient.

There is no one or the other--they are all connected and if it takes Luke and his beautiful dogs to put a face on this concept than so be it. I told you he has found his life's work.

Luke is at the tail end (pun intended) of his walk. He is about 300 miles away from Boston which means he has completed 1700 miles. A remarkable journey. A remarkable story and a very remarkable person.

And the best is yet to come.