LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Former U.S. Army Reserve colonel and Nebraska congressional candidate Tom Brewer plans to have tests this year to ensure the leukemia in his blood is gone.

He said he hopes to have fully recovered by April so he can join a fellow Heroes and Horses organizer on a 100-day ride across the Continental Divide from Colorado to Canada. They are seeking to raise money and awareness for the program with the trip.

The Heroes and Horses program helps veterans adjust to civilian life after being forced to leave the battlefield because of their injuries.

Brewer lost in the May primary against Republican incumbent Adrian Smith, who was re-elected this month to the state’s 3rd Congressional District.

Brewer was wounded twice in combat in Afghanistan, once in 2003 and again in 2011.