Donate to the Mother's Day Tribute Fund in support of patient & family programs and cutting edge research to cure pancreatic cancer!

Laugh, Love and Live Gracefully

by Daughters Robin & Ricci for their lovely mom Margaret

Ricci and I feel blessed to honor our mother Margaret by sharing her story with you on Mother’s Day.  Throughout our lives, parents - mothers and fathers - give us guidance to face difficult situations.  Our mother's diagnosis of pancreatic cancer has been difficult but her spirit is strong. We have been presented with some of the most unimaginable circumstances but she has given us the room to laugh, love and live gracefully.

Our mother has such a positive energy she naturally attracts people wherever she goes.  While her beauty initially draws people in, it is her heart that makes them stay. The same can be said for our adherence to the values my sister and I learned through her and no matter how differently we approached situations, there was always love.  

One of the greatest aspects of growing up with our mother is how she made an impact in other people's lives.   When we were young our mom volunteered to be a playground monitor. We saw how the relationships she developed with our classmates helped build confidence and life skills. We too gained strength in relating to others.

While our mother's energy seems effortless, she has faced struggles in her life.  She worked hard and made selfless choices in raising us.  She is the person who continues to teach us to be optimistic even when things are not in our favor. She invited us to feel our fear.  Once we had experienced this and we knew what we were facing, we could focus on the best outcome. 

When she was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, we all, together, allowed ourselves to experience the gravity of the diagnosis.  We cried; we held each other and allowed ourselves to truly experience it. Then we began focusing on the positive choices we could make.  What can we do?  Where can we go? We searched for solutions and found the Hirshberg Foundation.

We called and spoke with someone at the foundation and they provided us with exactly what we needed - a quick response and some clear direction .  Within a few days we’d traveled from a small town in Oregon to Los Angeles. With a second opinion from UCLA medical team we were able to move forward confidently with her medical care.

One of the best experiences we’ve had recently was attending the Hirshberg Foundation’s Patient & Family Educational Symposium. Our mother, while not having enough energy at the time to attend, watched several of the symposium videos available online covering the conference.  We all especially found the nutritional aspects of cancer treatment to be helpful.  Also helpful was the energy we gained through other's sharing. We were comforted by the message of those who had been through a lot of what we are facing. It opened up a whole new world and we realized, yes, there are others who are faced with the same challenges we are facing.  We are not alone. They are survivors. And like our mom they are heroes.

Happy Mother's Day!

Robin & Ricci

*Sisters Robin and Ricci are wonderful and dedicated daughters who continue to support their mom, Marge, who was diagnosed with PC earlier this year.

Donate to the Mother's Day Tribute Fund in support of patient & family programs and cutting edge research to cure pancreatic cancer!

Hirshberg Encouraging Limitless Philanthropy

You Can Help Funds provide a platform to honor or pay tribute to a loved one while supporting vital pancreatic cancer research through fundraising. You have the power to raise awareness and inspire action. Did you know that the Hirshberg Foundation invests 84 cents of every dollar raised on medical and scientific research more than three times the average amount spent by other major healthcare philanthropies? When you create a fund you can help drive donations to advance life-saving research.