Project Purple Podcast

Jennifer Beckage was already a strong advocate for her clients throughout her work life as a lawyer in the data and tech space. But when a pancreatic cancer diagnosis changed her life, she was forced to be a strong advocate for herself as well. At the time of her diagnosis, she was living a very healthy lifestyle having run several half marathons, tough mudders, and even a sprint triathlon. Luckil...

Tommy Olivarez would be the first to admit that he’s always been a little stubborn. But when a doctor told him to get his affairs in order and that he only has a few months to live, his attitude paid off. After seeking help from a specialist, Tommy is still fighting, surviving, and spreading awareness both in person and on social media - especially Tik Tok. On this week’s episode, Tommy shares his...

This week’s special guest comes all the way from Verona, Italy! Salvatore Paiella, M.D., Ph. D. works at the General and Pancreatic Surgery Unit of the Pancreas Institute of the University of Verona, Italy. His research is mainly focused on: predisposition to pancreatic cancer (familial and/or genetic), oncological effects of ablation of pancreatic cancer, complications of pancreatic surgery (incl...

Richard Conner is the host of the “Inspire to Run” podcast, a running community that motivates people to run and take control of their health and fitness. While Spartan Races are currently his jam, he wasn’t always a runner. But he took advantage of a small moment of inspiration to inspire his own fitness journey and is now inspiring others. Conner is also a pancreatic cancer advocate as he lost h...

Michael Skaggs was an avid runner when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He had just finished the 2018 Detroit Marathon when his symptoms popped up which complicated the process of his diagnosis. As one might imagine, pancreatic cancer was not at the top of mind for doctors who were looking at a marathoner. However, Michael knew something was wrong and advocated for himself throughout the p...

We’re very excited to introduce Project Purple’s new running coach, Ryan Welsh! Not only is he an excellent coach, but he is personally connected to our cause and knows what it’s like to run for Project Purple. Ryan grew up in Princeton, NJ before going to college at Washington and Lee University in VA, where he went on to play 4 years of varsity football. After college, he moved to NYC and discov...

Sandee Hamilton is a mom, travel blogger, and pancreatic cancer survivor who is not letting her diagnosis define her. At the time of her diagnosis with stage 1 P.C. from a neuroendocrine tumor in her pancreas, Sandee said, “I didn’t even know what to do with myself.” But before long, she figured out exactly what she wanted to do and decided to carry on and live on her terms while undergoing treatm...

The 2022 New York City Marathon is right around the corner and our team of runners from all over is getting ready to flock to the Big Apple to pound the pavement for 26.2 miles in support of pancreatic cancer research and patient financial aid! To help our team prepare for the event, we’re throwing it back to when Dino sat down with Olympian Molly Huddle and running coach John Honerkamp to preview...

This week, we’re joined by David J. Stewart, MD to discuss “Why Cancer Still Sucks” which also happens to be the title of his book. In this episode, Dr. Stewart goes into detail about the things that set cancer research and treatment back despite all of the progress we have made. Dr. Stewart also asserts that although improvement in the treatment of metastatic cancers seems to be slow, we are neve...

The 2022 Chicago Marathon is right around the corner and our team of runners from all over is getting ready to flock to the Windy City to pound the pavement for 26.2 miles in support of pancreatic cancer research and patient financial aid! In this week's episode, Vin and Dino, two of our Chicago Marathon finishers on staff, provide tips and advice on how to get ready for the big day, navigating to...

This week, we spoke with 4x pancreatic cancer survivor Robert Duran. As a cyclist and advocate, Robert is an inspiration to many as he has been battling since his initial diagnosis back in 2014. Robert is currently participating in a CAR T-Cell immunotherapy trial to treat his stage 4 PC. After having lived with chemotherapy for approximately 8 years, Robert has decided to try this clinical treatm...

Imad Shureiqi, MD is an oncologist and researcher who specializes in gastrointestinal cancers including pancreatic cancer. In this week’s episode, Dr. Shureiqi goes into detail on the life-saving research he is doing at the University of Michigan’s Rogel Cancer Center. In this fascinating and highly-educational episode, Dr. Shureiqi shares what makes pancreatic cancer survival rates so difficult t...

In this week’s special episode, we’re joined by a panel of former guests who are all cancer survivors. As a group, the panel discussed how cancer is connected physically, emotionally, and chemically. They also discuss what to expect from a cancer journey, how to best assist people in your life who are battling cancer, and more. It was exciting to interview this trio of guests and learn from each o...

Kenny Mintz is on a mission to walk Across America while doing some serious good in the world. He is undertaking a long and difficult journey both physically and logistically in support of pancreatic cancer charities and programs that care for veterans and their families. As a combat veteran and colonel and as a son who lost his mother to pancreatic cancer, Kenny has seen and dealt with a lot of l...

This week, we’re joined by speaker, writer, and coach, Christina Helena. Christina became one of the youngest pancreatic cancer survivors ever when she was 19 years old despite being told she had roughly 6 months to live. Now, Christina is motivating and inspiring others with her amazing works including her autobiographical solo show “SCAR,” her Goalcast podcast episode “My Scar Is Sexy,” her TEDx...

This week, we’re joined by Kit Rudd, a pancreatic cancer survivor who was originally from Texas and now lives in Richmond, VA. Kit is a rockstar survivor who is geared towards helping others through a variety of fundraisers that mainly focus on cycling and competitive cooking! In this episode, Kit details his journey from symptoms to present-day. He also tells some interesting stories dating back...

This week, we’re joined by pancreatic cancer survivor Angela Bonner from Norfolk, VA. She is currently undergoing chemo and is a Whipple candidate with a powerful mindset. Bonner is faithful and focused on uplifting others while maintaining a positive outlook throughout her own battle. In this episode, Angela shares her journey from first symptoms through diagnosis and up to the present day while...

In this week’s episode, we’re joined by Therrine and LaToya Slaughter from Little Rock, Arkansas. While Therrine is battling pancreatic cancer, he is certainly not battling alone as his wife LaToya, who is a registered nurse, has been a powerful advocate and supporter for him. Listen in as this pancreatic cancer power couple share how they’re fighting as a family while providing some great advice...

This week, we’re joined by survivor Julie Carrol and her husband Joe. In this interview, Julie shares her pancreatic cancer journey from her first symptoms to the present day while Joe offers caretaker advice and shares some of his perspective as a medical professional. Tune in for a valuable discussion on traveling and celebrating life, “filling out your calendar in pencil” to remain flexible whi...

This week, we’re joined by survivor John Walmsley of Cumberland, RI. We first heard about John from WPRI who wrote a story about John’s journey and a song that he wrote. The song, titled “Wage Hope,” was written to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer research. After seeing this, we were excited to have him on our show so we could go into detail with him about his story and some of his advice for...

In this week’s episode, we’re joined by Rachel Gersten who is the co-founder of Viva Mental Health & Wellness and a runner like many of the members of our community. Rachel’s approach to therapy focuses heavily on finding what works best for each individual as a whole person - which is a major driving factor in Viva’s mission. As a four-time New York City marathon finisher and five-time black belt...

After losing his mother to pancreatic cancer in 2011 as well as several other people he was close to, Gord Townley began his mission to help fight for a cure. That’s when he combined his passion for cycling with his goal of helping to improve pancreatic cancer survival rates to form 7 Days in May - a charity ride that circumnavigates all of Lake Ontario in 7 days. After raising approximately $20,0...

This week, we’re joined by pancreatic cancer survivor Rainer Zach who is originally from Germany and now living in Chicago. As a wind and kite surfer, off-roader, hiker, entrepreneur, and a father of three, Rainer brings with him a unique set of experiences and wisdom to his pancreatic cancer journey. Rainer’s approach to fighting cancer focuses heavily on mindset and meditation and he shares some...

This week’s episode was recorded in-person at the 2nd Annual Project Purple Charity Golf Classic at Shorehaven Country Club! Hear from Vin, Dino, and so many others who participated in this incredible event. We’re proud to say that this event has raised over $68.5K for pancreatic cancer research and patient financial aid! Thank you to everyone who continues to participate, donate, sponsor, and vol...

On this week’s special episode, we’re catching up with Liam Holt, one of the first pancreatic cancer survivors we ever interviewed on the podcast. Back in episode 10, Liam shared the story of his battle with pancreatic cancer but in this week’s episode, we interviewed Liam about the next chapter of his life taking place in the 4 years that followed his appearance on the show. Since then, Liam has...