When Dr. John Hall’s wife, Jane, was diagnosed with breast cancer, he was right there to support her through her surgery and treatment.

When she reached her one-year cancer-free anniversary, he climbed on his bike and at the age of 62, with his wife following him in a car, he pedaled 12,000 miles around the perimeter of the U.S. to raise money for breast cancer research.

Dr. Hall, an emergency room physician, says his wife’s cancer has changed the way he treats patients. He said he used to go in to see cancer patients and feel sorry for them. Now, he says he thinks he gives them hope and he treats them more as survivors rather than just patients.

He says one thing he’s learned through his wife’s battle with cancer is that a positive attitude is important when you’re fighting cancer. He says you may not be able to will your cancer away, but the life that you will have with a positive attitude will be a lot better life than you would have with a negative attitude.

So what prompted this Alaskan to get on his bike and cycle 100 miles a day? A challenge from his daughter, who was in charge of fundraising for cancer research.

Find out what Dr. Hall thinks every cancer survivor needs to know for their battle and what he hoped to accomplish with his ride.