Tara

In Memory of My Wonderful Mom, Gigi

I created the Westchester Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk 17 years ago in partnership with the Lustgarten Foundation when I lost my wonderful mother, Gigi, to pancreatic cancer in April of 2009 when she was only 52 years young and I was only 24 years old. One of the last things my mom said to me before she died was that she wanted to bring a victory flag to the fight against pancreatic cancer and to find a cure. When my mom was diagnosed, the five year survival rate for pancreatic cancer was only 5%. And now the survival rate is up to 13%! Thanks to fundraising efforts through walks like ours, there is now more hope and treatments!

The Westchester Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk would not have been created if not for the inspiration of my mom! She is why I will not rest until we find a cure for pancreatic cancer!  My mom’s drive, compassion, and dedication to helping others continues to inspire me everyday! While unfortunately my mom cannot be here today, it has been incredibly rewarding to see how this wonderful Westchester community has come together in support of this devastating disease.  In the 17 years since I first created the Westchester Walk in my mom’s memory, the Westchester community has raised over $5 million dollars for pancreatic cancer with 100% of every dollar going directly to pancreatic cancer research through the amazing efforts of the Lustgarten Foundation. 

Why Lustgarten? They are the nation’s largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research. Thanks to separate funding of administrative expenses, 100% of my fundraising and your donation funds pancreatic cancer research - research led by Lustgarten and powered by you! Together, we will raise more money for research advancements than I ever could alone.

Thank you for helping me continue my mom’s fight in honor of your own loved one! Please donate to my page and provide hope to thousands of families touched by this devastating disease.

Your contribution will help me achieve my goal so that more funding can be allocated for research into early detection and new treatments. Please share this page with any friends you think might be interested in donating, and join me on this journey towards a cure.