Project Purple Podcast

Meet Eric Lugo from Houston, Texas. Eric is a veteran whose journey with pancreatic cancer can be traced back to when he had a case of pancreatitis during his basic training in 2005. A stent was put in to treat his pancreatitis, and he went back to his usual military routine without much concern from the doctors. After years of discomfort in his upper abdomen and his health declining over years of...

Meet Bill Nugent from Northern New Jersey. Bill has been a loyal supporter and friend of the Project Purple running community for a long time. He recently achieved his 6-Star status at the 2024 Boston Marathon, which means he has participated in all six world major marathons: NYC, Chicago, Berlin, London, Tokyo, and now Boston. In this episode, Bill talks about what inspired him to become part of...

Nick Black is the CEO and co-founder of Good United, a non-profit organization that empowers and strengthens non-profits of all causes through social media fundraising. Nick is a veteran himself and co-founded the non-profit Stop Veteran Suicide with his peers to eliminate soldier suicide. As a non-profit leader, he realized the potential of social media fundraising to streamline donations from hi...

Meet Jewelz and her husband and caretaker, Matt, of Northern California. The couple have four children together and were both feeling optimistic about their future as they entered their 50s. However, they could never have been prepared for Jewelz’s pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2022. Her stomach pain began in the 90s when she was just a high schooler, persisting into adulthood, but she always con...

Meet Dr. Ezra Cohen, a medical oncologist and cancer researcher based in San Diego. He is organizing clinical and research studies on various cancers at Tempus. In this episode of the Project Purple Podcast, Ezra explains the scientific reasoning behind different cancers and tumors, and how they respond to treatment methods such as immunotherapy, radiation, and chemotherapy. Additionally, Ezra tal...

Meet Dr. Helene Andrews-Polynemis, a scientist and tenured professor at Texas A&M University. Helene's journey in the medical and biology fields took an unexpected turn when she faced a personal battle with pancreatic cancer. In this episode, Helene shares her experience navigating diagnostic tests, revealing a tumor, followed by smaller tumors and abscesses on her pancreas and surrounding organs...

Christina Grace, a resident of Central Florida, began experiencing discomfort in her midsection towards the end of 2020. Given the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, she initially hesitated to seek in-person medical care and instead opted for a virtual consultation. Despite following the advice given during her virtual doctor’s visit to take pain relievers, the discomfort persisted for several day...

Meet Meaghan B. Murphy, a longtime magazine editor, author, and mother of three who lives in New Jersey. In this episode of the Project Purple Podcast, Meaghan talks about her book "Your Fully Charged Life." She explains how she was inspired to write it after watching her father battle pancreatic cancer. Meaghan also shares the many obstacles she has faced in her life and how she has turned her ne...

Meet Charlie, a 38-year-old from the U.K., who was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This came as a huge shock to Charlie, as she had no health issues and was a lover of sports and all things exercise, even playing in a national league for hockey before becoming ill with pancreatic cancer. She shares her journey with pancreatic cancer by explaining the progression of her symptoms, which s...

Matthew Rosenblum is a social scientist who calls Michigan home. In this episode, Matthew courageously opens up about his extraordinary journey with pancreatic cancer, a battle that began at the young age of 32. Matthew discusses how he relocated to North Carolina amidst the pandemic to support a friend's business when he developed an unusual combination of symptoms. Little did he know that what i...

With 2023 winding down and 2024 coming up over the horizon, Dino, Vin, Sam, and Zach sat down to discuss a record-breaking year for Project Purple. With this having been such a great year and us having so many exciting things in store for 2024, this week's episode provides a look at this year's events from a staff perspective and a peek behind the scenes of Project Purple. To learn more about Proj...

Summer DeCoste, from Virginia, shares her inspiring journey as she opens up about her life-changing diagnosis in this heartfelt YouTube video. Summer reflects on the unsustainable lifestyle she led before her pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2018. Candidly discussing her struggles with heavy drinking and unhealthy food choices, she reveals a raw and honest picture of the moments leading up to her me...

Introducing Ana Brazil, an indomitable spirit hailing from Oakland, California, who faced an unexpected battle with bladder cancer after discovering blood in her urine. As she navigated through the challenges of bladder cancer treatments, an unforeseen twist emerged – an early stage of pancreatic cancer was detected. Ana, a talented writer of historical fiction, weaves this chapter of her life, or...

Stefanie Sacks, a resident of New York, reflects on her upbringing, which was marked by disordered eating and chronic illness. During her early years, she developed an interest in cooking and began reading about food. She was curious about the connection between food and health, which led her to pursue a degree in culinary nutrition. She continued her education and earned several more degrees, inc...

Meet Martin Inderbitizin from Switzerland. Having just completed his Ph. D. in Neuroscience at the age of 32, Martin was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, disrupting his plans to embark on a new career. His research focused on stress and emotions, and little did he know that this scientific knowledge would prove invaluable in coping with his pancreatic cancer diagnosis. To cope, he took up running...

Get ready to be inspired by the remarkable story of Jen Wells, residing in West Virginia. Jen's life took an unforeseen turn with a stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis, initially leaving her with a mere three months to live. As a devoted single mother, Jen's transparent approach with her children about her diagnosis reflects her remarkable strength and openness. Join us as we uncover Jen's journey...

Witness the incredible journey of Ali Brown, the three-time Guinness World Record holder from Northern Ireland, as he shatters records in honor of his late partner, Sharon Deegan. In a stunning display of resilience and love, Ali's most recent accomplishment, a staggering 150-hour continuous drumming session, Ali paid homage to Sharon's courage in her battle against pancreatic cancer. Their profou...

Elizabeth Benedict is a renowned author and survivor of lymphoma. She recently shared her experience of battling cancer and how she fought to get the right diagnosis. Writing about her journey has helped her to come to terms with her illness and she hopes her book will inspire others to do the same. Despite being a writer, she found it difficult to open up about her struggles with cancer but hopes...

Meet Mary Billiter, of Wyoming, an acclaimed author, and passionate creative writing teacher. She draws inspiration from her Pulitzer Prize-winning father. She’s also a devoted mother. Mary's life journey has been marked by resilience, having faced alcoholism in her youth, a courageous battle against breast cancer, and later a diagnosis of her son’s, schizophrenia. In the past two years, Mary has...

Meet Ilisha Helfman of Portland, Oregon. She was given a dire diagnosis along with suggestions of burial arrangements from her doctor, but two and a half years later, she is living her life to the fullest thanks to her positive mindset. Despite battling pancreatic cancer, she's dancing through her neighborhood to the tunes of BTS and other K-Pop hits while walking her dog. She spends her days enjo...

Meet Dr. Brittany Smirnov of northern Virginia. Dr. Smirnov is a dermatologist who has a unique connection to pancreatic cancer despite not specializing in it. After experiencing challenges with breastfeeding her second child, she delved into her family's medical history and discovered the BRCA mutations on her father's side that have led to various cancers. With her medical background and family...

Kitty Swink of Los Angeles is a lover of the arts and theater. She has been featured in Hollywood productions like Star Trek. At thirty-nine, Kitty was diagnosed with breast cancer which she battled and won. Ten years later, at forty-nine, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Kitty battled that too, and continues to, nineteen years later! She discusses her journey through the disease and how...

Mother and daughter, Pam and Stacy, are from Houston, Texas. Pam is the wife of a head and neck surgeon, so she is no stranger to the medical world. Pam developed severe itching and sought medical help for this from her general doctor, from there she was sent to a series of specialists, as her doctor wasn’t convinced this was a dermatology issue. Pam was soon diagnosed with stage 2B pancreatic can...

Israel Garcia is a stand-up comedian from El Paso, Texas. He was soon to have his first international comedy tour that he waited his entire life for. His dream career as a comic came to a halt when he developed symptoms of jaundice, which led to a doctor’s appointment but no diagnosis. Weeks passed before his symptoms put him in the emergency room. Israel was there for six days where he underwent...

Charles Tucker of Baltimore, Maryland is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, serving 27 years for his country. After visiting a local winery with friends, Charles developed sudden symptoms which led to a series of tests and exams. Doctors quickly discovered that Charles had pancreatic cancer. This sudden diagnosis called for 13 rounds of chemo in just a few months' time. Eventually, Charles underwent the...