Kathy Harrigan

I'm fundraising in memory of my sister Patricia (Trish) Ashmore

If you have known anyone with pancreatic cancer, then you know what a terrible disease it is.

My younger sister, Trish, passed away on March 10th, just three months after her Stage 4 Pancreatic cancer diagnosis. I wish I could say that she, a lifelong caretaker, did not suffer, but she did. Even before her diagnosis, she was symptomatic and in pain. For months, she went to doctors who misdiagnosed her and prescribed medications that might have added to her discomfort. By the time they discovered the cancer, it was inoperable and had already spread to her liver.

 Unfortunately, my sister's story is not so unusual. Often, Pancreatic Cancer is diagnosed in an advanced stage. Its symptoms can be mistaken for those of other conditions. And is usually inoperable with minimal treatment options.

 That's why I am participating in the Lustgarten's Walk for Pancreatic Cancer Research.

 The Lustgarten Foundation is the largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research in the world. To date, they have invested over $301M in high-risk, high-reward research to accelerate and expand life-saving treatment options. Lustgarten leads a unique, collaborative, science-focused strategy that has been a driving force in every major advancement in pancreatic cancer research since 1998.

 The Lustgarten Foundation exists to transform pancreatic cancer into a curable disease. It is committed to centering research programs on areas with the greatest potential for impacting patients, including earlier detection, therapeutics and personalized medicine.

Please support the Lustgarten's Walk for Pancreatic Cancer Research. The money we raise will help people like my sister receive an earlier diagnosis with treatment options that save their lives or, at the very least, prolong and preserve the quality of life they have remaining. 

 Thank you!