Marine Jim Hickey’s fifth walk across America for cancer should deliver him to Dowagiac today.

Again.

Hickey actually arrived in town Monday night, spending some time at the Moose Lodge while locating lodging.

This morning he was to return to Decatur to officially resume his odyssey, which has carried him 952 miles since he left New York on Good Friday.

In all, his walks encompass more than 7,000 miles since 1998.

Hickey lives in Livingston, N.J., and thought about the promise he made to his father before he passed away from prostrate cancer in 1995.

He also has a brother afflicted by the disease, so his walk raises money for Los Angeles cancer charity City of Hope.

More than 20 times he has been joined along the road by Hooters girls raising awareness for breast cancer, but he’s also been shouted at, spat on and threatened by menacing motorists intent on mowing him down with their vehicles.

His first walk was cut short a thousand miles from L.A. when he couldn’t find anyone to trail him in a car to reduce his risk crossing desert and mountain terrain alone.

He encountered the same difficulty on his second and third tries after supporters backed out hundreds of miles into the journey.

The fourth try is remembered as the “walk from hell,” for his mother died and he suffered from shin splints in his right leg.

According to media accounts along the way, he set off in April once again, giving up everything for the endless effort.

Hickey sold his car, house and possessions.

Some days he grinds out mileage on no more than a dollar, relying on the kindness of strangers with no idea where he’ll sleep that night.

He doesn’t accept donations, just asks people he encounters to give to cancer, arthritis or cystic fibrosis research, so he’s unsure about his financial impact.

Hickey’s spoken at dozens of schools, preaching to students about the gift of making a difference in somebody’s life.

He tells kids to never give up and to keep on going, which helps answer the question of why he’s tackling such a formidable task a fifth time.

“I love sidewalks,” Hickey says philosophically.

“It’s the little things in life that make me happy now.”