James Radlinski CancerResearch Fund

I will be running my first race in the 2018 Encinitas Half-Marathon on March 4th. My participation in the race is going to benefit other very important environmental charities, but I wanted to take the opportunity to raise awareness for another cause:


My Grandfather, James R. Radlinski, who we called 'Papa', was a very big part of my family's life.  He was a United States Marine for 27 years, serving in the WWII era, in Korea and in Vietnam as a Master Gunnery Sergeant.

The Papa we knew was a very loving and caring man. when we were kids, Papa used to take us on trips to Las Vegas, to Oceanside to feed seagulls, and was almost always up for a nice meal of spaghetti and fruit punch at our house.  He had a booming, deep voice, but was still a beautiful singer and sang many a lullaby to me as a newborn. When I was baptized at age 1 (as shown in the picture above) Papa was there, and he was proud, just as he was with all of his children and grandchildren.

In the spring of 1996, Papa went to the hospital for what he thought were severe cold symptoms. After many tests, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and the cancer had metastasized to every part of his body but his brain.  By July, he was gone. He was 68, and I was only 3. Because most of his grandchildren were still so young, we've always made an effort to keep his memory alive through sharing stories, home videos, and memories of a loving and caring man.

Papa's death was a difficult and sudden loss for our family, one that could have been avoided with the proper medical attention and medical knowledge. Since then, I have lost another family member to pancreatic cancer as well. In December 2015, my Uncle Christopher, Papa's third son, died from the same illness only 5 months after his diagnosis. 

Pancreatic cancer is a fast-acting illness, but a very painful one to experience at the same time. As part of my charity efforts for this race, I want to try and raise what I can to contribute to pancreatic cancer research, in hopes that one day we will be able to prevent the pain and fate that both my Grandfather and my Uncle endured.

I am looking to raise $1000 by the time of my race, March 4th, 2018. This day is also significant because it would have been my Papa's 90th Birthday. Consider any contribution you can make a birthday gift to him, and a gift to anyone who has experienced pancreatic cancer or cancer in general. If we contribute what we can now, we will benefit others in the future.

If you or anyone you know has lost a family member or friend to pancreatic cancer, I ask that you share this with whoever you can, if not to raise money, to share their story.

Thank you for any and all support that you can give!