The LA Cancer Challenge (LACC) is pleased to announce that Drs. King & Girgis have been named as the Honorary Medical Chairs for this year’s event. Chosen for their groundbreaking advancement of robotic-assisted, minimally invasive surgery, Dr. Mark Girgis and Dr. Jonathan King will participate in the LACC on Sunday, October 21 in Wilson Plaza at UCLA.  Both surgeons are part of the Agi Hirshberg Center for Pancreatic Diseases at UCLA , the only integrated practice units of its kind where patients can get extensive evaluation and a personalized treatment plan in just one visit.

The LACC, held on the UCLA campus, is the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research’s signature fundraising event. Now in its 21st year, the funds raised through the LACC directly benefit groundbreaking research via the Seed Grant Program.

“We are excited to have Dr. King and Dr. Girgis not only joining us on October 21st but helping convey our message of hope to the thousands of runners and walkers. Both doctors are past Seed Grant Awardees and know how important our program is for advancing the research landscape. Each Seed Grant awarded is a stepping stone to saving lives,” said Agi Hirshberg, Founder and President of the Hirshberg Foundation. “Their participation shows our supporters that significant progress is being made, but will also help emphasize that more work is still needed.”

This year the Hirshberg Foundation received 51 Seed Grant proposals from across the country. These projects range in focus from treatment to targeted therapies, immunotherapy to  metabolic regulation to the medical benefits of cannabidiol. The fundraising done by the LA Cancer Challenge community is key to funding as many of these projects as possible.

In Dr. Mark Girgis’s words, “The importance of the Hirshberg Foundation cannot be overstated. These dedicated philanthropists have tipped the balance towards finding a definitive cure.”

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal cancers, on track to be the 2nd leading cause of cancer-related death in the US by the year 2020. One of the difficulties in diagnosing the disease is the vague symptoms it presents, meaning that many cases are diagnosed once they have metastasized and surgery is no longer an option. The work that Drs. Girgis & King are doing with robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery are helping to improve pancreatic cancer outcomes.

“With so much optimism on the horizon, I count myself lucky to be a part of the Hirshberg Foundation, leaders in the field of pancreatic cancer,” said Dr. Mark Girgis, co-captain of the UCLA Surgical Bruins team.

His co-captain, Dr. Jonathan King says, “The Hirshberg Foundation is a beacon of strength, hope – and most importantly – progress in the quest to cure pancreatic cancer.  As a pancreatic cancer researcher and surgeon I am honored to be participating in the LA Cancer Challenge!”

By Leslie N.

This year our family learned the devastating news that my father had pancreatic cancer.  Having watched a very close friend pass one year earlier from this horrific disease, I was in disbelief. The thought of having to go through the experience of watching my father suffer at this time in his life was more than I could handle.  But we’re fighters, and we circled our wagons and prepared ourselves for what we knew lie ahead.

My father is a retired doctor and very strong man but he was up against an opponent that was bigger and tougher than him.  As I watched both he and my stepmom struggle I reached out to the Hirshberg Foundation for guidance on how I could help them help themselves. That one phone call literally changed my life and the path of our experience through this struggle.

First I learned that there were resources offering support to both the patient as well as family members in need.  Second I learned how I could get involved in an organization that one day will help save the lives of my family members and friends.  And third, but most important, I learned that there was a small group of people who had walked the walk, just a phone call away, available to comfort me at a moments’ notice. I immediately became part of a family who understood and sincerely cared. 

While my father was going through chemotherapy and preparing for surgery my sister and I volunteered on the L.A. Cancer Challenge planning committee. And when my father had his surgery Agi, Amy and the Hirshberg Foundation team were by our side, offering support. Two weeks post-op our team Carabet’s Crew walked proudly in honor of our father who was recovering from the Whipple Procedure performed by the best of the best, Dr. Hines.  

The LACC may not be the biggest 5k/10k around but in all my years of participating in similar events I have never felt the love, support and determination I experienced that morning. To be surrounded by so many people who care, understand and are working toward a common goal of curing pancreatic cancer gave us hope that one day we’ll be able to prevent other families from having to watch their loved ones suffer.

By Sarah Banks

In the months leading up to this year’s LA Cancer Challenge a group of amazing volunteers began making plans behind the scenes! The committee included nearly a dozen volunteers who had been introduced to the Hirshberg Foundation while participating in one of our past events. What began as brainstorming sessions quickly became a concise plan of how each person wanted to contribute to entertainment, raffle, sponsorship and community outreach. Everyone had a part to play and the contribution was astounding.

Thinking outside the box was exciting and challenging as the group explored new ideas to help make this years’ experience unique. Whether they attended every meeting or made calls and sent emails from home, everyone participated and brought their A-game! The end result was fun entertainment on the course, a raffle with higher ticket sales, new sponsorship, and outreach to more schools and community and business organizations.

For good friends Rosheen Erangey & Gina DeRosa the loss of Gina’s mom, Gayle Reed motivated them to join the raffle committee. Rosheen said, “Because we worked on the raffle it was great to see it in action. We were thrilled to actually see the winners so excited when their numbers were called”!

Volunteer Carol Poletti had never even attended the LACC before getting involved with the entertainment committee. “After seeing the event this year, I now have a clearer understanding of how everyone’s contributions came together.   And based on the participants’ enthusiastic reaction, I’ve started thinking about what we could do for next year’s event!”

The Hirshberg Foundation wants to thank our LACC Volunteer Committee for joining us on this thrilling adventure!

By Ernest Park

My first LACC was special because it was shortly after my father passed away. It was me, my brother, mom and girlfriend Robyn. This was my mom’s first race and I was excited to be running with my family. At the starting line I turned my back for a second and as I did, the race started and my mom took off. She just started sprinting without the rest of the family; she had run off without us! I had never seen my mom run like that. It was fantastic and all we could do was chase after her. It was, without a doubt, the most amazing start to our first LACC.

The LACC showed us that we are not alone in this relentless fight against pancreatic cancer. It is so uplifting to see the tremendous amount of passion and support for finding a cure. The fact that such a community exists and is marching forward to do the amazing work they have been doing is so encouraging. I lost my dad to pancreatic cancer November 1, 2009. It is especially fitting that we honor his memory and life around the darkest time of the year for our family. The LACC has been a remarkable outlet to honor my dad’s life while supporting the pancreatic cancer community.

I’m usually apprehensive to ask friends and family to donate or get involved in anything. That fear has faded since seeing the outpouring of support the LACC gathers each year. My wonderful network of friends and family love getting together every year for the race, they get excited and ask how we’re going to top the last year. They were the most amazing group of minions (from Despicable Me) last year and soldiers in Dumbledore’s army (from the Harry Potter series) this year. They are what drive me and fuel me to organize a team each year. Their willingness to support this amazing organization each year truly means the world to me and I can’t wait for the many years to come.

Running for a cause and having that focus motivates me to think beyond myself. The organization has boosted my confidence and brought light to the subject of pancreatic cancer. Instead of all the negative experiences I’ve had with the disease I can now add every great memory I have had with the Hirshberg Foundation to the list. Pancreatic cancer will always be a part of my life since it took someone so dear to me. I want to be able to support others that are fighting cancer as well as those friends and family members that are battling right alongside them. I love the race and everything it stands for and will continue to support and participate every year!

By Peter Fischer

Our Mom, Gertrude Fischer, was one of 13 children born in Dickson City, PA to Polish immigrants who arrived on Ellis Island at the turn of the century. Living in a two bedroom house with a dirt kitchen floor as a child and adolescent, Trudy was the valedictorian of her high school class and went on to receive a Nursing Degree from the NYU School of Nursing in the mid-1950s.   She was an RN (Registered Nurse) for approximately 45 years, providing care for patients in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and psychiatric centers. During the latter years of her career she was a private duty nurse for anyone who needed her assistance. She was known for putting together top-notch, round-the-clock nursing care for people in their homes or brief stays in hospitals. Every day she worked she put on her all-white nursing uniform (white stockings and nursing shoes polished the night before) and lived and breathed her oath to bring comfort and care to the sick and dying.

After retiring from nursing (more the result of a changing world for an aging nurse and not because she wanted to retire) she focused her life even more on her children and grandchildren. She adored her many grandchildren from the very moment each one arrived until her last breath. She died with not a penny in her bank account and even left my Dad with a small department store balance — the result of her always showering her friends and family with gifts and adoration. She rarely, if ever, did anything for herself.

In July, 2003 my Mom was diagnosed with an unresectable malignant tumor of the pancreas. The decision was to pursue medical management. She was offered palliative chemotherapy. I immediately flew out to NY to meet the rest of the family and assist with her care.   I will never forget sitting with my Mom in her hospital room as we looked over the trees and well-manicured lawn outside of her room. My Mom had been a nurse for 45 years or so and had taken care of patients with her very same diagnosis more times than she would have cared to admit. As her youngest son and physician, and her as a nurse with years of experience with patients who had faced what she was now ultimately facing herself, our conversation was brief and to the point. Between myself and her other physician sons, we had teams awaiting her arrival for further intervention (at that time all palliative and relatively hopeless)— all she had to do is say the word. “Take me home Petee. I want quality over quantity. I want to enjoy my grandchildren,” she said to me as I held her hand and she looked straight into my eyes. We took her home, set up Hospice care, and with the help of hired round-the-clock assistance and many of her nursing colleagues, gave her as much comfort and dignity that such a process could possibly allow. She passed away 7 shorts weeks from her day of diagnosis.

My sister had known Lisa, the Executive Director of the Hirshberg Foundation through a mutual friend. At a wedding in 2005 they were chatting about kids and about our mom’s short battle with pancreatic cancer when Lisa told us all about the Hirshberg Foundation and about the LA Cancer Challenge. We were hooked from that moment and started spreading the word that TEAM TRUDY was going to be represented each year at the LA Cancer Challenge.   Our family of course remembers my Mom on her birthday and we re-live her passing on the anniversary of her death each year. To be perfectly honest, our biggest day is the LACC each October. It is at this event that we honor her life and put forth whatever effort we can in order to see that her struggle with pancreatic cancer was not in vain.

Team Trudy at the LA Cancer Challenge is a collaborative effort by family and friends. My sister started things in motion with Lisa. A good friend who adored my Mom came up with the t-shirt design and then we registered for the event in 2005. The rest is history. To date Team Trudy has raised over $40,000 for pancreatic cancer research. We are focused on doing whatever it is we can do to raise awareness.

What I have realized in re-visiting the life of this wonderful woman, is that her life and untimely death has changed me forever. My heart aches every day in knowing that I can’t pick up the phone and call her like I did when she was alive. As trite and cliche as it sounds, a part of me died the day she left us. Anger, selfishness and frustration get the better of me on many a day. Even on my best day, I cannot even come close to exhibiting the elegance and dignity that this woman did every day until she passed away. But, I will keep trying. Our Mom was a truly remarkable woman. In reflecting on her life and in honoring her, we honor all who have been lost.

By Matt Skinner

The LA Cancer Challenge has been a part of my family’s lives for the last 11 years. When our friend Mark was diagnosed in 2002 we raced in support. Since he succumbed to the disease, we’ve raced to remember. The race had become a proud yearly tradition. Slowly, we’ve become more involved and have gotten to know so many people in the Hirshberg organization. The 2013 event will forever hold a special place in my heart. The day after the 2012 LA Cancer Challenge my daughter Maggie decided to get into the race that she had watched from the sideline for the first 7 years of her life. I’m a runner – it is one thing I can say I’m good at doing. Now I was going to get a chance to run with my daughter, what could be better? Obviously when thinking about an 8-year old, “running” is a little strong of a word. I expected her first 5k to involve running, walking and skipping.   Before our first training session, I sat Maggie down and talked about her goals (and mine).

My rules were simple: 1)If anything hurts, stop! 2) Always have fun and 3) Go at your own pace.

That day we ran around the block ONCE. Over the next ten months, the mileage grew slightly (our longest run was 2.65 miles). We experimented with a few different motivational systems. We tried jelly beans, PEZ, mints… The memories from our training sessions are countless.   The good, the bad and the ugly all blended together.

On race day I had no idea what would happen. Maggie never realized she would be running with thousands of other people, so she was a little intimidated. While I pushed her brother in the jog stroller on one side and she grabbed onto her mom’s hand on the other, we started up the “big hill” from the starting line. Maggie kept it simple…..left, right, left, right…..inhale, exhale…..repeat.

Mile 1 (still running): “you okay??””Shhhh, Dad!”

Mile 2 (Still Running) : “want some water?” “It’s too cold out for water!”

Mile 3 (STILL RUNNING!!): “I can see the finish!” “Me too, looks likes I’m gonna beat you”

We ended with an official time 34:51. Good enough for 3rd Place in the 0-9 girls division!!! Four days later the medal has finally come off. However, the memory will last forever and October, 26th 2014 can’t come soon enough.