Our story…
This team is walking in honor of my dad, Ricky Wayne Ford—Paw Paw to his grandkids. Outgoing, loud, and fun, he had a way of filling every room with his energy and love.
As a dad, he was always the one to do the daring, playful things with us—playing after Sunday morning breakfasts, inventing spur-of-the-moment games just for fun, and showing his love through cooking, tinkering, and woodworking. As a Paw Paw, his grandkids knew unconditional love. He would drop everything to be there for them, fix up toys and scooters to make them better than before, and surprise them with little joys—from their favorite snacks to dinosaur baths.
In September 2023, we lost him to stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It hit like a wall—one day we noticed some jaundice and abnormal labs, and the next we were facing a diagnosis that left us far too little time with him. This cancer is aggressive, usually found too late, and it leaves families with heartache and so little time to say goodbye.
That’s why we walk. We raise money for pancreatic cancer research—to fund better early screenings and more successful treatments so that other families won’t have to face the same sudden heartbreak we did.
We walk for Paw Paw. We walk to celebrate the light, laughter, and life he brought into the world. And we walk because we know that if he could, he would fight like hell for this cure too.
Help us raise money for Theresa Tracy Strive to Survive
Team members
Click on one of our team members below to make a donation.
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Garrett Ford
Raised: $0.00
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Isla Meismer
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Janel Ford
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Kendra Meismer
Raised: $0.00
Team captain
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Molly Ford
Raised: $0.00
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Theodore Meismer
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Tom Meismer
Raised: $0.00
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Trent Ford
Raised: $0.00
Recent donors
Donation date | Donor name | Donation amount |
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Sep 26 | Janel Ford | $54.10 |