By Brittany Knott
In June of 2012 I lost my mother Linda Knott from pancreatic cancer. She was diagnosed only 3 months before that, it all happened so quickly and we didn’t see it coming. My mom was the most loving, giving, humble person I’ve ever known and she has passed on those qualities to me. She was a great mother and I hope to do her justice in trying to make a difference.
I’ve always been motivated to help my community and make a difference, but losing my mom to this disease has motivated me to focus my philanthropic efforts with the Hirshberg Foundation. With the support of friends and family I’ve helped raise awareness for pancreatic cancer and we’ve raised thousands of dollars through Team Mudslide at the LA Cancer Challenge!
On Friday, April 11th we held Purple Palooza, a night of live music, great food, and a fun auction & raffle! I teamed up with Mickie Finnz Fish House in Redondo Beach to host since they’ve been so great helping us raise money before and they truly care about their community. I’m also a proud member of philanthropic organization Chive On South Bay who helped me rally support. It was a great collaboration since we share a passion for philanthropy and just being good people overall.
Seeing just how many people came out to the event, and seeing the outpouring support from the Hirshberg Foundation are a few of my favorite moments. Being able to play live music and share the stage with one of our favorite bands, Tres Hombres, all night was fun too!
The most important part of the experience was making sure that people understood what the Hirshberg Foundation was about and how important it is that we continue to fight to find a cure for this terrible disease. Hosting an event for the Hirshberg Foundation would have made my mother proud.