Dear Friends and Family,

I am running with Team Let's Win Pancreatic Cancer in the NYC Marathon on November 1, 2026, in honor of my Dad "Franko American" and my best friend Katie. I lost them both to pancreatic cancer in 2013 and 2025.

Katie and I ran our first half-marathon together in Detroit 13 years ago, months after we lost my Dad. I was in total shock and grief, having had only 30 days warning after his diagnosis before he passed. My dad was my rock, the epicenter of our family. Dad was a role model to many, including our very large family and his then four small grandchildren, whom he adored. Running, and my friendship with Katie, helped me figure out how to deal with this somehow. Through the years, Katie and I came to rely on our runs to work through life’s challenges.  

In 2023, we started training for another half-marathon when Katie first had a sign that something was wrong. A year later, she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer that had metastasized to her liver. Katie couldn’t run anymore, so we walked instead and talked through the unfathomable realities of her cancer like we had been doing with our other problems for years. After 10 months of treatment and seemingly setback after setback, a doctor in Houston discovered her cancer originated in the pancreas, not the colon. She passed away less than 2 months later in March 2025.

Pancreatic cancer has taken two of the most important people in my life. I want to help the effort to save others from these experiences, and keep their memories alive in the process. With my Dad, we had no time to understand what we were dealing with or to fight it. By the time we had our first appointment with an oncologist, it was too late. They sent us home to hospice. With Katie, they fought the wrong cancer. I can’t say the result would have been different if they had known from the beginning, but I watched the cancer spread through her body at such a quick pace. I felt helpless. There is so much work to do to fight this disease.

For me, fundraising through running with Let's Win Pancreatic Cancer has so much meaning. Let's Win Pancreatic Cancer has a mission to make sure that no one faces a pancreatic cancer diagnosis alone--from those who have been recently diagnosed, to those in treatment, and their families. Every step of the way, Let's Win is there with support, information, and experience. If you are at all inclined, here's how you can help:

• Donate: Contribute whatever you can. No amount is too small!
• Spread the Word: Share my fundraising page with your friends, family, and social networks. Let’s spread awareness so we can raise more!

Thank you for listening and for standing by me in this effort. Your support means the world to me. Please continue to share every memory you have of my Dad, Katie, and any loved one who is no longer with us.  

xoxo, 

Abby