Hey, there!

It’s me, Kim Antongiovanni and I’d like to let you know why I am taking steps to end pancreatic cancer at PanCAN PurpleStride on Saturday, April 29, 2023.

My goal going into this is to make the biggest impact on the lives of pancreatic cancer patients – and I need your help to do that! So I’d like to share with you my/our story.
First, this disease is personal, not only to me but my family. Pancreatic Cancer became a part of our story back in September of 2009 when my Dad, Ken Rapey was first diagnosed. The uncertainty and the lack of information on this disease was not only scary but frustrating.  My Dad fought hard even with all the treatments, travel, second and third opinions, he ended up losing his battle on December 6, 2010.  Fast forward to July of 2018, Pancreatic Cancer reared it’s nasty head once again in our family, but this time it was my Mother-in-law, Kay Antongiovanni.  The diagnosis came as a shock and we were not prepared for it (are we ever?).  This hit us hard but like my Dad, Kay fought a good fight with everything she had.  Unfortunately, the disease won and Kay passed away on March 19, 2019. 

The story continues…October of 2021 I started to have terrible abdominal pain every time I ate or drank. This persisted for weeks with no relief or help from doctors.  My blood work continued to be normal and it was as if my constant pain was falling on deaf ears when it came to my doctor.  After over a month of no answers, I finally insisted they do an abdominal scan.  So in December of 2021, Pancreatic Cancer came barreling into our lives again and this time it was Me! Yes, Me! I honestly was stunned, confused, mad, sad and absolutely terrified!  What was going to happen to me and how was it going to affect my husband and my beautiful 17 year old daughter?? All I thought was they NEED me as much as I need them! At that moment I knew this was NOT going to be the end of my story and I was ready to fight! I was going to do everything possible to make sure I would survive this and not be a statistic. The fight of my life was on and I was ready to hit it and become the warrior I am today.  I started chemo in January 2022. Chemo is something I would not wish on anyone- it’s absolutely brutal.  I was lucky enough to be a candidate to have the Whipple surgery in May and had my last round of chemo in September. I am currently healing and working on keeping healthy as this disease leaves you with all kinds of residual side effects.  I am not complaining, I am grateful. I can breath a little easier until my next scan but I know in my heart “I got this“! My positive attitude is due to the hardcore support that I received from my family, friends and this amazing community we are lucky enough to live in.  So please with your help, let’s wage hope for every cancer patient!

PanCAN PurpleStride is the number one way PanCAN raises money to fund vital research that can bring new treatment options to patients, and gives them free, personalized one-to-one support through PanCAN Patient Services.

Here’s where you come in! I’ve set an ambitious fundraising goal – because the more money I raise, the bigger impact we make – and would appreciate a gift of any size to help me get there. I believe just forgoing that $5 cup of coffee once during the week and donating can really help.  No donation is too small! 

PanCAN PurpleStride is for everyone, and I’d love for you to join me and my Team! Just click the Register button at the top of this page and follow a few easy steps to get set up. And anyone who registers and raises $50 will receive an official PanCAN PurpleStride 2023 T-shirt! Pretty Cool.

Can I count on you to get us one step closer to the day where pancreatic cancer patients don’t just survive but THRIVE?

Patients and families need us now more than ever.

Thank you for your support!