Heather McDermott

My why

We thought we knew the story 2026 was going to tell.

Three graduations. A year of lasts and new beginnings, hundreds of pictures, and probably a lot of proud tears.

And then my Mom got sick.

Suddenly the milestones she had waited years to see happened while she was somewhere else, fighting to get well enough to be there for the next one.

And she fought so hard.

We learned firsthand that pancreatic cancer doesn’t happen neatly around the important days. It doesn’t check the calendar first. It arrives in the middle of the life you’re already living, and suddenly the ordinary things you assumed would happen become the things you would give anything to have back.

A seat in the audience.

A picture together.

A completely unremarkable Tuesday.

More time.

We can’t change the timing of what happened to our family. We can’t get back the moments this experience took from her.

But maybe we can help change the story for someone else’s family.

So this fall, we’re walking.

If you’re able, we’d be so grateful if you’d consider making a donation to support our team and the Lustgarten Foundation. Every donation, whatever the amount, helps fund pancreatic cancer research and moves us toward earlier detection, better treatments, and more families getting more time together.

For more grandmothers sitting in the audience where they belong. Like my mom will be thanks to early detection, aggressive action, and  the work of the Lustgarten Foundation.

Our team is called In This Together.

Because if this year has taught us anything, it’s that wherever the scary parts take us, we’re going there together. 💜