By Hilary Price Morgan
After many months of misdiagnosis, my mother, Rebecca Price, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January of 2008. Her diagnosis came at a time when our family was looking forward to a couple of exciting changes. I was newly engaged and my brother and his wife were expecting their first child. Because aggressive treatment needed to start and my husband, who is in the military, was deploying in just a few weeks, it was not possible for us to have a traditional wedding that my mom would have liked for me to have. My mother lost her battle eleven weeks later. It was a harsh reality–my mom would not be at my wedding or at the birth of her first grandson.
After many conversations with the oncologist, it was alarming to hear that there were not many options for pancreatic cancer patients. It was during those conversations that I knew more medical advances were needed in order to give pancreatic cancer patients a chance to survive. Over the next few months, my fiancé and I began to plan our wedding. We knew that, in lieu of wedding favors, we wanted to donate to a foundation that supported pancreatic cancer research. After researching many organizations, we came across the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research. I was encouraged by the Hirshberg Foundation, because their main focus is to raise funds to support pancreatic cancer research in hopes that there will one day be a cure. After sending in our contribution, we received purple organza satchels and cards explaining that a donation was made in lieu of wedding favors and in memory of my mother.
After participating in the Hirshberg Foundation’s Wedding and Celebrations Program, I began to receive updates on medical research that the Foundation was supporting and opportunities to participate in other events they sponsored. One of these emails contained information regarding the Hirshberg Training Team and their participation as an official charity at the Los Angeles Marathon. I immediately wanted to join the team. This was another opportunity for me to raise funds for pancreatic cancer research and bring awareness to such a devastating disease. I look forward to completing my first marathon in memory of my mother in March.
Though my mother was not able to attend my wedding in person or see me complete my first marathon, her spirit and love continues to be with me everyday. In honor of her courageous battle, I will continue to support the Hirshberg Foundation’s efforts to raise awareness and money for pancreatic cancer research.
