Above / Addie Tedrow, pictured between her mother, Jen Tedrow, and Ann Zediker (left), noted the planning team gets the entire family involved. “We make it fun, and know that we are making a difference to help other people. I hope some of my friends and other kids come out because it really is a fun event.”
Updated, July 17, 2022 / Billed as “rain or shine,” this morning’s fundraiser along the Riverwalk under overcast skies welcomed teams of bright-eyed individuals, all united in the vision to educate and transform pancreatic cancer into a curable disease.
Team Nancy attracted more than 110 teammates! And by noon, July 17, the tally from all teams and individuals for the 2022 Naperville Walk for Pancreatic Research had climbed to $110.8K, with much gratitude to all from event organizers Ann Zediker and Jen Tedrow.
For more information or to contribute to funding in support of the Naperville event, click here.
Original Post, July 14, 2022 / The Lustgarten Foundation Naperville Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk returns to the Naperville Riverwalk Grand Pavilion Sunday morning, July 17, 2022, rain or shine.
The walk is to raise funds and awareness for the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. Registration check-in begins at 8:30AM. The event kicks off at 9:45AM Sun., July 17, at the Naperville Riverwalk Grand Pavilion, 500 W. Jackson Street.
Individuals and teams are welcome, according to local walk leaders Ann Zediker and Jennifer Tedrow. Pets on leashes also are welcome.
Jen Tedrow added that she supports Lustgarten because 100% of donations go directly toward fighting pancreatic cancer. “I feel strongly that this is a material way for us to fight back against this terrible disease and make a difference in honor of loved ones that we have lost as well as those who are fighting today.”
Research improves outcomes, and there just isn’t enough funding nationally for pancreatic cancer research; therefore, Lustgarten is critically important in the fight against pancreatic cancer, the organizers agreed.
For individuals like Ann Zediker, who lost her father to pancreatic cancer, the Naperville Walk is an important opportunity to honor loved ones and to support patients currently fighting for their lives, celebrate the rare survivor, and fund research into earlier detection, better treatments and ultimately a cure.
“We only had six months with my dad after he was diagnosed,” Zediker said. “I became a walk leader because I don’t want anyone else to have to go through the devastation my family experienced. Pancreatic cancer is especially crushing because there really aren’t any warning signs until it’s too late—it’s almost always discovered after it’s spread and there is little doctors can do.”
To date, since 2011 the Naperville Walk has raised more than $800,000, all of which has gone to pancreatic cancer research. The current goal for the 2022 event on Sun., July 17, is $100,000.
Lustgarten Foundation since 1998
Lustgarten Foundation is the largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research in the world. Based in Woodbury, N.Y., the Foundation’s mission is to cure pancreatic cancer by funding scientific and clinical research related to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of pancreatic cancer; providing research information and clinical support services to patients, caregivers and individuals at high risk; and increasing public awareness and hope for those dealing with this disease.
Since its inception, the Lustgarten Foundation has directed more than $225 million to research and has assembled the best scientific minds with the hope that one day, a cure can be found. Thanks to separate funding to support administrative expenses, 100% of donations fund lifesaving pancreatic cancer research.
For more information, visit www.lustgarten.org.
Last updated, July 17, 2022