Ivan's Warrior Run!

Incredible odds Valiant spirit And Never gave up…

This was Ivan….a father, husband, son, brother and friend whose smile was infectious, whose heart loved big, and whose hugs brought comfort. And through his year-long battle against pancreatic cancer, his spirit was unwavering.

A huge fan of football, Ivan’s dream trip was to attend a Green Bay Packers football game in the heart of winter - to experience a game “like a true football fan,” he said.

All of his dreams, for himself and for those he loved, were forever changed when Ivan was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer the day before his 50th birthday in June, 2018.  

Ivan took that trip - not in the heart of winter but on an unusually warm September weekend - 3 months after his diagnosis, in the middle of his chemo treatments. Why not wait for winter? Because pancreatic cancer is an evil beast - claiming 71% of its victims within the first year of their battle, and less than 10% of its victims surviving 5 years.

So there simply wasn’t time to wait.

Yet here he is in these photos, enjoying his bucket list trip with his family and with that infectious smile. It may not have been exactly what Ivan pictured, but life rarely is. After a relentless battle, we lost him on July 20th, 2019.  

Now, as we approach June 28th, what would have been Ivan’s 52nd birthday, we want to keep his spirit alive and help others who are fighting the same beast he did by supporting Project Purple, a wonderful organization that fights to rid the world of pancreatic cancer. https://www.projectpurple.org/

How can you join the fight?

Run/Walk/Skip/Hop/Crawl with us virtually on Ivan’s birthday (the 28th of June) for 2.8 miles - wherever you are on that day, at whatever time is convenient for you. Think 2.8 miles sounds like too much? No problem – take 28 steps, run/walk a track lap or whatever you feel comfortable tackling!   On November 1st, the trifecta of Judy, Lisa and Kate will be running the 2020 NYC Marathon together as part of Project Purple’s team. Help us officially kick off our training as we start racking up the mileage towards the 26.2 we will complete for Ivan, and all the warriors who's marathon is far longer than ours.

Our goal?

A total 52 miles in honor of Ivan’s 52nd birthday. Post your results on your Instagram and Facebook pages and stories using the #HitTheStreetToDefeatTheBeast. Even if you can’t join us, we’ll hope you’ll share this page on all of your social channels and ask your followers to join us.

The cost?

$6.28 - that’s it - and all proceeds go to Project Purple.

And if you’re feeling extra generous, hit that Donate button and donate as much as you can spare. We know there are a lot of causes to give to but every dollar here will go to Project Purple in hopes of defeating the beast that is pancreatic cancer.

We want Ivan to feel the warrior spirit he left behind in all of us, and those who are still fighting valiantly, to feel our support!  So sign up, donate, print your bib, wear Purple on 6/28 and #HitTheStreetsToDefeatTheBeast!!!! We hope you can be with us to celebrate Ivan's life from wherever you are!  Thanks for your support!!!