Dying man spending last days spreading kindness across the U.S. is now giving away hundreds of dollars to change strangers' lives

When we step out to do good, sometimes, the result is even better than we would have ever imagined, leading to a chain of wholesome events. This enlightening cycle is one of a kind, and Doug Ruch is one generous man who has been able to witness it. Earlier this year, we discovered Ruch had a newfound mission — “Dying to Serve.” He learned that he had only a few months to live and decided to spend them doing kind acts. This good turned around to reap a hundredfold. In his GoFundMe, Ruch mentioned that his mission spread to so many that he received immense support that pushed him to start yet another mission — “Dying to Give.” 

For Ruch, receiving a prostate cancer diagnosis was difficult. When told that he did not have long to live, he decided to look at it from a positive perspective. His response was not to give up and wait but rather to live each and every day doing as much as he could. In an interview with ABC 7, he said, “I thought to myself, I have two choices. I can sit at home and wait to die or I can go out and live,” and rightly so, he began his initial mission to help those in need. According to his website, he managed to complete around 25 tours across different states, helping those in need.

His most recent projects included making cookies for cancer patients and their families at Kathy’s House on May 20 and helping pack medical supplies at Woodridge on May 23. He has more of these missions underway, the details of which are on his website. However, with donations over $104,205 and receiving even more support and wishes, Ruch was overwhelmed and encouraged to rekindle his generosity. As a result, he decided to launch the “Dying to Give" mission. He aims to “bless people with joy through random acts of giving.” 

In an update, he said, “The happy hormones from volunteering have been fueling me and keeping me strong. The problem is, I’m not getting enough of them by volunteering just two days a week. That’s all my body can handle, so doing this random giving will keep an almost constant flow of happy hormones flowing to fuel me and my mission daily!” In his Instagram and Facebook posts, Ruch shared how well this new mission has been going.

“This is Jason, the first recipient of a ‘Dying to Give’ random act of giving!” Ruch wrote in a post. He paid for gas for Jason’s car in Chesterton. In another post, he shared the second lucky ones, Hillary and Terry, whose McDonald’s bill was cleared by Ruch. This mission has continued with offering a $100 bill to CJ to “spend over the weekend,” a $100 tip for the waiter at Diane, Daina and Amy’s dinner and a $100 bill to the lovely Marie at Walmart. 

And the initiative has been going strong since! People who have been a part of Ruch’s “Dying to Give” initiative feel beyond grateful. Ruch has quite a few tours planned throughout June and is inspired to carry out giving, too. He hopes that the community will continue to offer help and even volunteer in spreading this life-changing experience to as many people as possible. “You will have a large part in keeping me going, opening hearts, spreading viral joy and making people’s day wherever I go!” he wrote.

You can support 'Dying to Serve' and 'Dying to Give' on GoFundMe.

You can follow Doug Ruch on (@dyingtoserve) on Instagram and Facebook as well as visit his website (Dying to Serve) for more updates about his mission.