February is Cholangiocarcinoma Awareness Month. We are proud to highlight the many efforts from TCF community members who are working to bring attention to cholangiocarcinoma and other rare cancers in their own communities.
Christina Tuskan, Indiana
Jeffrey Alan Tuskan passed away from cholangiocarcinoma in 2012 at just 50 years old. His death devastated his family, but they were determined to help other families and support research. As the five-year anniversary of his passing approached, his family collaborated with St. Michael’s Parish in their hometown of Schererville, Indiana to coordinate a Feast Day 5K fundraiser, resulting in a $5,000 donation to TargetCancer Foundation. For the 10 year anniversary in 2022, the family once again partnered with St. Michael’s for another 5K, and raised over $15,000 for TCF. Christina Tuskan, Michael’s wife, noted that over the years, the family has grown stronger and focus on cherishing their memories with Jeffrey. They are grateful to provide such a significant contribution and hope that many lives will be touched through TCF’s work.
Nadia D, California
Nadia D’s father has always been her biggest fan. As a competitive collegiate swimmer, her parents never missed a meet. As a runner, her dad send her encouraging text messages for every mile of her races.
In 2021, Nadia’s father was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, and it is a challenge this small, tightknit family is facing head-on, together. This past November, Nadia signed up to run a half marathon to honor her father and raise awareness for cholangiocarcinoma. As a surprise, Nadia created an entire outfit dedicated to her father and set up a fundraiser to raise money for TCF. After successfully finishing the race, Nadia described this very special interaction:
“I have never been more proud to present any accomplishment and honor the way I went home and presented my race dedication with my parents. Every mile, every stride, every breath…it was all for them. All for my dad being full of fight and faith…all for my mom being full of devotion and care. We shared such a special moment talking about my “why” for my race today, the choice in my outfit, raising awareness for such a nasty disease, and the generous donations that were raised for @targetcancer foundation… THIS. This is what it’s about: Family. Faith. Fun. Fearlessness. FIGHT.”
Ashley Bombicino, New Hampshire
Ashley Bombicino lost her husband Anthony to cholangiocarcinoma in late 2019. Each year since, she has hosted a Facebook Fundraiser in December to mark the anniversary of his passing and to raise funds for research in his memory. Ashely said, “Without him here with me, the only gift left to give him is to raise money for research for the cure for cholangiocarcinoma to ensure that no one else, no other family has to suffer from this horrible disease.”
This year, TCF was honored to be selected as the fundraiser’s beneficiary. Ashley exceeded her original goal, and in total, Ashley has now raised over $5,700 to support cholangiocarcinoma research since 2020.
Spencer Lindsay, Nebraska and Washington, DC
Spencer Lindsay was only 20 years old when his best friend, role model, and big brother Matthew passed away from cholangiocarcinoma at the age of 28. Spencer and his family began coordinating a golf tournament in Matt’s memory in their hometown of Kearney, NE in 2015. Over eight years, the Lindsay’s and their community honored Matt’s memory by raising over $75,000 in support of TCF’s cholangiocarcinoma research initiatives.
Spencer said, “My hope is that someday another family dealing with this cancer does not suffer the same outcome we did in losing Matt, and that is why TargetCancer Foundation is so important to me.”
Now on the East coast as a member of the JAG Corps in the United States Navy, Spencer applied and was selected from an incredibly competitive field to run the 2023 Boston Marathon to fundraise as a member of Team TargetCancer Foundation 2023. Spencer is continuing to raise awareness within his new networks, and is also receiving support from his community back in Nebraska. Spencer has raised almost 75% of his goal with two months to go until he lines up for the Marathon on April 17!
Kim Balkus, Massachusetts
TCF advocate and volunteer Kim Balkus and her family spent more than a year raising funds following the death of their mother, Geri Keegan, who passed away after living with cholangiocarcinoma for more than 6 years. In the summer of 2022, their gift helped to purchase critical lab equipment for the Bardeesy Lab at MGH Cancer Center, where Geri visited during her treatment. Dr. Bardeesy is a leader in the field of cholangiocarcinoma research and has been a partner and TCF grant recipient for over 12 years. Kim shared, “TargetCancer Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital were so important to our mom. By organizing this fundraiser, we were able to honor our mom in the best way possible. She always said even if she didn’t live long enough to benefit from advances in treatments or a cure, she found comfort knowing that others would! This donation in her name keeps her memory alive and her legacy strong!”
TargetCancer Foundation is incredibly grateful to all of our community members throughout the country for their passion and dedication to supporting the rare cancer community of patients, caregivers, and researchers. Whether it is through sport fundraisers, events, online fundraising, or online awareness campaigns, every event is meaningful and makes an impact on our work. If you are interested in hosting a community fundraiser of your own to support our work in rare cancers, contact us for more information at info@targetcancerfoundation.org.