Welcome to Our PanCAN PurpleStride Team Fundraising Page!

Unfortunately, on January 27, 2023, 13 months after her diagnosis, my grandma lost her battle with pancreatic cancer, with my mom and I on either side of her. She fought until the very end but we couldn’t keep asking her to fight for us and be in pain.

Initially diagnosed on December 23, 2021. I was standing at a Christmas party, reading my grandma’s CT report and saw the words “large mass in pancreas”. My worst fear was coming true and the next several minutes to hours all turned into a blur. My grandma has always been my rock, and the strongest person I know, which is why it wasn’t surprising that she chose to start chemo. During her first appointment with the oncologist, as I’m sitting in the corner with tears uncontrollably running down my face, my 92 year old grandma said “so when are we starting chemo?” Her oncologist, looking shocked said something to the effect of oh you want to go forward with chemo? Her response? “There’s no sense in sitting and crying about it, I have to fight it.”

Every moment in her last year became that much more special, with a bittersweet undertone. And now, we’re all trying to find our new normal without her here. I still can’t say that she passed away without tears filling my eyes or feel like celebrating anything without her but I’m trying to find a fraction of the strength that she lived everyday with. Please consider participating in the team and donating to pancreatic cancer research so one day we can read pancreatic mass and not feel like our world is crashing down around us, or so that we can get more time with those that we love the most. 

Thank you for your support!