Cancer walk receiving 'birthday donations' that follow 'Jeopardy' star's lead

A somber yet celebratory walk to help cure an often-deadly cancer is receiving a trendy type of donation, following the lead of a recent TV star - Naperville native and 32-time "Jeopardy" winner James Holzhauer.

Holzhauer donated $1,109.14 to the Naperville Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk after walk leader Ann Zediker of Naperville invited him to attend the 5K on July 14 along the Riverwalk. The donation matches the digits of his daughter's birth date.

Although Holzhauer told Zediker he couldn't attend the fundraiser, Zediker said his "fantastic and inspirational" gesture already is paying off.

At least two other donors have contributed more than $1,000 in "birthday donations," she said, with the specific amount of dollars and cents spelling out the digits in a loved one's birth date.

The money from Holzhauer and all other donors goes toward the Lustgarten Foundation, which has devoted $165 million to pancreatic cancer research during the past 20 years. Thirty-six fundraising walks benefit the foundation each year, including the one in Naperville, as the organization supports researchers working to develop advanced detection methods, immunotherapy treatments and personalized medicine based on genetics.

"Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal cancers," Zediker said. "When people are diagnosed, they are lucky if they have a day, a week, a month to live."

Pancreatic cancer results - often without warning signs - when abnormal growths form on the pancreas, a small digestive organ that produces enzymes to help process food. The disease has a 5-year survival rate of 9.3%, according to the National Cancer Institute, as the cancer often has spread to other organs by the time it is detected.

That's why Zediker said her family was fortunate to get five more months with her father, Phil Pagano, between his diagnosis and his November 2010 death. The walk now is a way to carry on his loves of family, music and community.

"It's a beautiful way to honor my father and show my children one aspect of his life, which he really cherished, which was helping other people and doing fun events," she said.

Lustgarten Foundation leaders gave Zediker free rein to plan the walk, and over the years, she's assembled a team.

Naperville Carilloneur Tim Sleep will play a tribute concert on the Millennium Carillon the evening before the walk in honor of his brother, who died of pancreatic cancer, Zediker said. A radio team from 101.9 The Mix attends every year to provide music and entertainment, honoring a former broadcaster who also died from the disease. Other organizers are Naperville locals.

"It's really like our celebration for the ones that we have lost," Zediker said.

Organizer Jennifer Tedrow lost her father to pancreatic cancer three years ago. She said helping plan the event and walking for the Lustgarten Foundation feels right because a private source covers administrative expenses, so all donations fund research.

"You know your money is going toward making a difference on improving outcomes," Tedrow said. "This is a really concrete way to fight back against a terrible disease."

This year's Naperville event begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. and the walk at 9:45 a.m. Sunday, July 14. Afterward, participants can receive a free canvas from Pinot's Palette on which to paint an image to help them remember the walk and its cause. There also will be free food for walk participants and children's activities, including crafts, a face painter and a balloon artist.

"Our goal over these last couple years was to really make it more of a fun family event," Tedrow said. "It can kind of be a somber topic for many people, and while it is a serious topic, we feel like this is important and we're trying to rally everyone together."

Naperville Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk

When: Registration at 8:30 a.m.; walk begins 9:45 a.m. Sunday, July 14

Where: Riverwalk Grand Pavilion, 912 Honorary Sindt Memorial Court, Naperville

Who: Benefits the Lustgarten Foundation for pancreatic cancer research

Cost: Donation

Info: <a href="https://www.lustgarten.org/walk-search-page/">https://www.lustgarten.org/walk-search-page/</a>