Walking 7,500 miles

MOSES LAKE  - Louis Michael Figueroa will have walked 31 miles

across Moses Lake.

The 43-year-old Tucson, Ariz., native has walked close to 5,400

miles around the United States.

MOSES LAKE  - Louis Michael Figueroa will have walked 31 miles across Moses Lake.

The 43-year-old Tucson, Ariz., native has walked close to 5,400 miles around the United States.

"I'm going to walk where there is pavement, in the middle of nowhere," said Figueroa.

While walking in Moses Lake, he will be followed by individuals from the Moses Lake Kiwanis Club, an international volunteer program focused on highlighting children issues. They are following him by car.

Figueroa is attempting to walk a 7,500 loop around the United States. The walk is an awareness campaign meant to get people to understand the "plight of abused and neglected children."

"People pay attention to someone walking around the country. It's my way of telling people to pay attention to this cause," said Figueroa.

He said he wants children who are being abused to speak up and "go tell someone, the abuser is a liar and you haven't done anything wrong."

Figueroa dealt with such a situation years ago.

"I had been abused for years by our housekeeper and then later on by a YMCA weight lifting instructor," said Figueroa. "I remember for a long time, I didn't tell anyone and I was so angry I couldn't let go of things."

Figueroa said with the help of a local pastor, he was able to let go of some of the pain and anger associated with being abused.

The 7,500 mile walking campaign is part of a journey that started in January 2005.

At that time, he walked for six months and totaled 3,000 miles.

"But I had to stop because in July 2005 in Pennsylvania when I found out I had Leukemia," said Figueroa.

He is in remission.

Nearly four years later, in June 2010, Figueroa picked up walking where he left off.

"I started over again in Pennsylvania; it was important to me that I finish this journey I started," said Figueroa.

He said he tries to walk about eight hours everyday, with one hour for lunch.

"I treat it like a regular work day. Some people go to the office, I walk," he said.

Figueroa said he averages about 4 miles per hour and tries to "avoid the slow songs on my iPod."

"I have found out that my pace really slows down, I'm looking for upbeat tempo songs," said Figueroa.

This isn't the first time Figueroa traveled across the United States to raise awareness for a particular issue.

"Everyone has a gift, the secret of life is to use that (gift) and better humanity. My gift is that my feet can go long distances and they hold up," said Figueroa. "My calves are the size of grapefruits."

The first time Figueroa walked across the United States was in 1982 when he was 16 years old. A high school sophomore from New Jersey, he said he ran from New Brunswick, N.J., to San Francisco to raise awareness for the American Cancer Society. The run was for a 10-year-old cancer patient.

During that run, he inspired a famous Hollywood line in "Forrest Gump."

"When I got tired, I slept, when I got hungry I ate and when I had to go to the bathroom, I went," said Figueroa.

He said it was a phrase he kept saying when giving media interviews during his run.

His second long-distance journey took place in 1996.

He was inspired to backpack through the United States by his brother who was diagnosed with AIDS. Figueroa walked from Bangor, Maine, to San Diego, raising money and awareness for AIDS programs along the way.

After he completes his walk in Moses Lake, he will be heading toward Seattle. The last city Figueroa was in was Coeur d'Alene.

He said he hopes to finish the walk by Dec. 12.

At the final mile, he hopes to see a crowd of people he has met throughout his walk.

"I want to see thousands of people at the finish line. I hope that the idea people get from my walk is that even though my walk is done, our walk as a society protecting abused children is just beginning," said Figueroa.