As cars whiz by on State Road 520, 10-year-old Noah Barnes asks his dad anything that pops into his mind.  

  • Noah Barnes of Jupiter, FL has type 1 diabetes
  • 10-year-old and father are walking from FL Keys to Blaine, Washington 
  • Hopes to raise $30 million for diabetes research

“Dad, are tanks the world’s most destructive weapon?” asks Noah.

The pair has a lot of time on their hands as they walk feet from the highway.

“He is just one of those kids, he is really intense, he is really focused,” said Robert Barnes, Noah’s father. “When he puts his mind to something he is extremely determined, and kinda borderline stubborn.”

They are in the beginning weeks of their journey across the country. It is a 3,902 mile hike, and it was all Noah’s idea.

“He just came to me and said, ‘Hey, don’t you want to see me cured?’ And as a father I was like, ‘Yeah, OK, let’s get this done,’” said Robert.

Walking is Noah’s way to raise awareness and money for research, because he has type one diabetes.

“You always get poked, fingers and the muscles,” said Noah, as he pinches the back, meaty part of his arm.

And while diabetes for most people in America is manageable, it is very serious. Noah knows it could potentially kill him.

“You could drop to zero and ecckk,” said Noah, as he drags his finger across his neck.      

In a yellow vest that reads “Noah’s March,” he started his journey from Key West, Florida to Blaine, Washington to try and raise $30 million for diabetes research. He hopes they will find a cure in his lifetime.  

“I couldn’t be prouder, you know, he actually wants to do something to help millions of other people,” said Robert.

Over the next few days, the father-son pair will pass by Orlando.

“Traffic, you always have to keep an eye on that,” said Noah.

And it’s the step-by-step travel, that is exposing Noah to all types of people.

“Yeah the guy that owned the bull dogs, what about the bunk beds that we stayed, the guy in Miami? What about the halfway house in the Keys?” said Robert.

“What the halfway house, ohhh,” said Noah with a smile on his face. “Yeah. People tend to be very nice.”

Noah tries to tell everyone he meets about his mission to end diabetes, but on the highway, there aren’t many people to tell. So he just waves at honking cars and marches on.

If he completes his journey, Noah will be the youngest person to walk across the country.

And to not miss a day of school, Noah’s parents have decided to homeschool him and his siblings. Each day they cut out several hours for classwork and homework.

To support Noah or just follow his journey go to the Noah's March website.