Roger Hille, Fighting Cancer Horseback

North Dakota Native Roger Hille, his 4 trusted horses and friend/designated trail hand Nick Tomac left St. Anthony, North Dakota July 5, with a goal and destination to reach. 

The goal: to highlight the importance of early detection in the fight against cancer.

The destination: Roger’s sons home near Denver, Colorado 803 miles from his home in North Dakota. 

When Roger and crew arrived in Faith on July 10, they had completed 182 miles of the ride with 621 left to go averaging about 30 miles per day. The sudden spike in daily temperatures gave the horses an afternoon of resting and grazing while Roger and Nick enjoyed lunch at Kings Drive In and visited with the locals. 

You might wonder why a retired bridge engineer would take on the daunting task of riding 800+ miles to advocate for early cancer detection? The answer is both heartfelt and humbling. 

Roger’s daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer in February of 2024. After completing her treatments in Sioux Falls, SD, she is now in remission. The cancer being detected early was key in the success of her treatment plan. Seeing his daughter navigate a cancer diagnosis and how this impacted their family, Roger decided he needed to try and help others who find themselves or their loved ones fighting cancer. A plan was made, the trailer was packed and Roger headed south horseback.  

This ride is actually Roger’s second ride of the year to help others. You see, Roger is no stranger to riding for a cause. For the past 12 years Roger has been part of the riding group Trails 4 Transplants. He started riding with the group after his son-in-law received his first liver transplant. Through these past 12 years the group has ridden over 2,500 miles, raised over $400,000.00 in donations and over $200,000.00 of that has gone to a transplant house to reduce costs to those who stay during their transplant journey. “Not a single penny goes to administration or operating costs to run the organization. All of the money goes to those in need of it. I’m very proud of that fact,” Roger shared. The group consists of members across North Dakota and Minnesota. In fact the group participated in a ride a couple years ago Southwest of Ft. Pierre, SD. 

While camping along the trail is always the plan. Roger, Nick and horses have enjoyed and appreciated the kindness and hospitality of West River South Dakota. Spending a night at Dan and Colleen Nelson’s, Tim and Jackie Bernstein’s and Jim and Teresa Hale’s along the way was a nice bonus for the travelers. While resting the horses along highway 73 Lorena Derflinger had a nice visit with Roger and Nick on their way to Faith. A thermos of coffee delivered at 4:00 am was also appreciated!

Due to the heat Roger and crew returned to North Dakota with plans to complete the remainder of the ride later this summer. If you happen to see Roger horseback along the highway give a wave, have a visit or maybe even saddle up and ride along.

For more information about Trails 4 Transplants and how you can help, check them out on FB or go to www.trails4trans plants.org.