By Marla Jones, Sports Editor

marla@southerntorch.com

FORT PAYNE, Ala. — “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Every now and then, someone comes into your life and shows you that when things seem impossible, the word says we shall renew our strength and not be weary.

Life has not always been easy for Kallup McCoy II of Cherokee, NC.  Kallup suffered for over fourteen years with multi-substance addiction that resulted in six overdoses.  He died three times before being revived with Narcan.

McCoy is a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians from Cherokee,  NC.  On May 14, 2018 Kallup McCoy II started his journey of running the Trail of Tears in North Carolina in remembrance of his ancestors and to show those who are suffering from addiction, that there is hope.   A felony conviction on his record excluded him from the application process of taking the northern bike route.

On Monday, McCoy ran into  DeKalb County and touched many lives as he did. He will be running 1,095 miles total.  Thus far he has ran 161 miles in seven days.  His mother, Ruthy McCoy is along for the journey, driving beside him as he runs.  She tells of having him put in jail and even having him committed to help him break the cycle of addiction. She offers a story of hope for other mothers who are watching their children face addiction.

McCoy shares the good news of transforming power of his Lord and Savior and hopes to lead others to him along the way. While in DeKalb, McCoy reached out  to DeKalb County Chief Duty, Michael Edmondson, in hopes of collaborating with the Sheriff's Office to bring his faith based message to inmates.   McCoy stated that “faith based recovery” is what helped him break the bonds of addiction.

McCoy is raising money along his run, to build RezHope Recovery House, on the Qualla Boundary of Cherokee, NC.  You can follow McCoy’s journey to Oklahoma on either his facebook page; Kallup McCoy II or Rez Hope.