BY ROBERT SANCHEZ
The Cincinnati Enquirer
CHEVIOT -- Mark Goertemoeller went for a morning walk Tuesday, and he didn't come back.
![[]](/editions/1998/08/19/walk_120x183.jpg)
Mark Goertemoeller walks along Harrison Avenue near North Bend Road on Tuesday morning.
(Michael E. Keating photo)
| ZOOM |
|
Instead, Mr. Goertemoeller kept walking, and he doesn't plan on stopping in the near future. The 42-year-old accountant and Western Hills resident has a purpose.
He is headed for Orlando, Fla., with the help of family and friends to raise money for research into iodine deficiency disease -- a cause championed by the Cheviot-Westwood Kiwanis Club and his late wife, Terri Murdock, the first female president of the local Kiwanis, who died in a March auto accident.
"This is something I thought I should continue," said Mr. Goertemoeller. "Terri was always active in helping people, and this was the way I could get involved. She thought I was crazy when I came up with the idea to do this."
The Kiwanis Club is sponsoring the walk, which was planned last August. He saw the money that walkers raised for cancer and thought he could do the same thing for iodine deficiency disease.
People with iodine deficiency have enlarged thyroid glands, dry skin, slow mental reactions and limited physical abilities. Originally, Mr. Goertemoeller set a goal to raise $1 million, but now, his sights are set higher. He wants $10 million.
He said he would stop Tuesday night in Crittenden, Ky., ending a 35-mile trek that was scheduled to reach the area's Kiwanis club. He will walk 420 miles out of 1,000 by himself. In between, Mr. Goertemoeller's daughter, Aimee, and other family members will walk while he tends to his accounting business, which he shared with his wife.
Although the trip will be an emotional one for Mr. Goertemoeller, he has gotten the respect of his peers and his daughter.
"I'm proud of him, because it's showing his determination," said Ms. Goertemoeller, 20, who will walk nearly 500 miles. "It shows that when you really love something and someone, you can make it happen. This is what we wanted, and he's doing it."
Mr. Goertemoeller is expected to arrive at Epcot Center on Sept. 26. His wedding anniversary is Sept. 27.
"I'll rest and reflect on what I've done," he said. "It's going to be a special time."
![[]](/editions/1998/08/19/walk_393x600.jpg)