Project Purple Podcast

Jenny Guittard of Alberta, Canada, is a registered nurse. Jenny spent much of her career caring for patients with cancer. As someone in the healthcare industry and having a close connection with cancer in her everyday life, she was shocked to find out her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. She was very familiar with the symptoms she was experiencing so she advocated for testing and screenings for dif...

London’s Dan Godley was only twenty-eight years old when he was diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer. As an avid runner, Dan was participating in marathons and ultras often before his diagnosis. His healthy and active lifestyle came to a halt when he discovered the tightness he had been feeling for some time turned out to be pancreatic cancer. Dan’s journey began at the height of the pandemic...

As an Italian-American with a family that cherishes food, Valentino Perrina knows the power nutrition holds. He and his brothers opened a restaurant together, so when they launched Nutre, they knew how to produce gourmet, restaurant-grade food. When his dad and oldest brother developed health problems related to their eating habits, the Perrina’s used their cooking skills to prepare meals to aid t...

Join us on the Project Purple podcast as we welcome back the incredible Molly Huddle, a two-time Olympian for Team USA Track & Field and a Project Purple Ambassador. Molly's personal experience with Pancreatic Cancer has fueled her advocacy for our cause. In this episode, she discusses her book, "How She Did It," which offers advice to young female runners. Molly also addresses the disparities wom...

When David lost his father to Pancreatic cancer in 2018, he and his wife Sara knew they wanted to do something to honor his father. His father, Stuart, was known by many as “Big Stu”. In this episode of the Project Purple Podcast, David reminisces about Big Stu’s love for BBQing and explains how the annual Big Stu’s BBQ event came to be. The Lapidus family partnered with Project Purple to help us...

Meet David Sabio, a medical illustrator from Garner, North Carolina, who battled with undiagnosed symptoms for years. Despite seeking medical care and undergoing numerous tests, his condition remained a mystery. Discouraged, he decided to give up on finding a diagnosis for several years. However, in late 2020, his symptoms worsened, and medical professionals struggled to pinpoint the cause. Feelin...

As a 27-year active duty Marine who has served several deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and other locations, Lebron Manning is no stranger to fighting. However, he and his family are currently turning their focus towards a new fight - his battle with pancreatic cancer. Listen in to this inspiring episode to learn how service has helped shape his approach to battling this disease and to l...

This week’s episode was recorded in person at Shorehaven Country Club during the 3rd Annual Project Purple Charity Golf Classic Presented by Tavros Capital and Charney Companies! Hear from Vin, Dino and so many other surprise guests who participated in this incredible event. We’re proud to share that this event has raised over $105k for pancreatic cancer research and patient financial aid! Thank y...

We’re going Over The Edge in Hartford, CT & Lincoln, NE! That means you can rappel down the Graduate Hotel in Lincoln or 90 State House Square for a world without pancreatic cancer. This event will work just like running with us where you will fundraise to reach a requirement and then you can participate - only this event is a different kind of thrill! Tune into this week’s episode to hear from Be...

Mark Head is a pancreatic cancer survivor and therapist from Rochester, NY. During a hospital visit for a blood clot, it was discovered that Mark had pancreatic cancer. Doctors initially thought it was adenocarcinoma, located in an area of his pancreas that was initially deemed inoperable. But through self-advocacy and determination, he continued to push and work with his doctors, eventually findi...

John A. Chabot, MD is the Executive Director of the Pancreas Center at Columbia and Chief of the Division of GI/Endocrine Surgery. In this week’s episode, he joins us to discuss immunotherapy, early detection, surveillance programs for genetic mutations, and much more. He also shares some of his best advice for patients. Dr. Chabot was instrumental in building the Columbia Pancreas Center to creat...

Fabiola Gomes is a personal trainer and dance instructor who is originally from Brazil and now lives in San Diego. She is passionate about health and fitness and describes herself as a “health nut”, often using all-natural products whenever possible as cancer was one of her biggest fears. She eventually had to face that fear when she was diagnosed with a Neuroendocrine tumor on her pancreas in 202...

Jodie Sadovsky is a pancreatic cancer survivor from Westchester County, NY. She is fighting and surviving with a stage IV diagnosis with a powerful mindset. Optimistic and strong, Jodie shares her journey with us along with some of her best advice. Tune in for a powerful episode and learn more about Jodie. To learn more about Project Purple, visit https://www.projectpurple.org/ or follow us on soc...

James Allison is a pancreatic cancer survivor who has found a new purpose throughout his battle. His initial diagnosis took him from a state of what he called “coasting” in life to pursuing his passion as a writer by self-publishing a book and working on his latest blog and podcast project, the Bad Cancer Diaries. You can check those out here: https://badcancer.substack.com/ https://podcasters.spo...

On this week’s episode of the Project Purple Podcast, we’re joined by Michael Cecchini, MD. Dr. Cecchini is an Assistant Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology) and Co-Director of the Colorectal Program in the Center for Gastrointestinal Cancers with Yale Medicine. Dr. Cecchini offers his expertise in navigating and understanding clinical trials while offering a look into how they work both for r...

After facing a long diagnosis journey that included a misdiagnosis of gallstones despite actually having pancreatic cancer, Jay Buth from CT underwent a Whipple Procedure. While that procedure was initially a success, a dangerous bacterial infection created a huge setback leaving Jay in the ICU for months. Throughout the process of fighting both conditions and losing his mother to colon cancer dur...

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Elizabeth “Ellie” Haney, founder of “Hanesie Clothes,” a clothing brand dedicated to normalizing conversations around mental health and spreading the message that we are never alone. Join us as Ellie shares her own mental health journey and how it has put her on a path to help others facing similar battles. Her advice for young people and people of all ages...

This week, we’re joined by Oliver Maddocks, Co-Founder & Head of Research at Faeth Therapeutics and Professor of Cancer Biology & Metabolism at The University of Glasgow. Oliver is an expert in cancer metabolism and a pioneer in the cancer research space. His work at Faeth is dedicated to using metabolism alongside treatment to fight against cancer. In this context, metabolism refers to more than...

Family and faith had always been important to Angela McDowell Baines from Memphis, TN. But when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2020, they became a lifeline. Early in her journey, Angela often struggled with self-blame - until her Whipple surgeon connected her with a fellow survivor who acted as a mentor and reminded her: “This illness is not about you directly. There’s nothing you did...

Judy Tixier is a mom, grandmother, pancreatic cancer survivor, and endometrial cancer survivor. In part thanks to her strong faith, the help of her family, and her own powerful spirit, Judy is still enjoying life despite the adversity she faces through treatment. She is a master of acceptance and taking life “one day at a time.” Listen in to this week’s episode to hear Judy’s story as well as some...

After severe stomach problems began to bother her in May of 2022, Becca Dixon began a long journey of appointments and testing that would lead to a diagnosis of stage IV pancreatic cancer in September of 2022. As an NHS pediatric nurse living near London, she thankfully had the confidence to continue to push for treatments and testing. Becca continues to balance her battle with pancreatic cancer w...

Connie Kenyon was very healthy when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She had even recently qualified for and finished the Boston Marathon. So when she first noticed significant weight loss within one month, she assumed it was due to a fitness and dietary adjustment. Unfortunately, that was not the case as soon she found herself in the fight of her life after being diagnosed with pancreati...

In this week’s episode, survivor Kurt Nemes shares his pancreatic cancer story and discusses “the system” regarding how pancreatic cancer patients are treated within the medical community. Thanks to Kurt’s self-advocacy in pursuit of treatment for some lingering symptoms, he slowly worked his way toward a pancreatic cancer diagnosis in the somewhat early stages. Partially due to lessons he learned...

With 2022 winding down and 2023 coming up over the horizon, Dino, Vin, and Sam sat down to discuss a record-breaking year for Project Purple. Listen in to episode 232 of the Project Purple Podcast to hear the crew discuss their favorite moments of 2022 and what they're looking forward to most in 2023. With this having been such a great year and us having so many exciting things in store for 2023,...

While he was diagnosed “by accident,” Eric Borden was all too familiar with the severity of pancreatic cancer at the time of his own diagnosis. Unfortunately, a good friend of his had passed away from the disease a few years earlier. Although Eric was unfamiliar with the signs and symptoms, he knew he would need to act quickly and advocate for himself if he wanted to beat the odds. Today, Eric is...