Meet Robin Goldberg, YPB Member

Robin Goldberg, YPB Member

Robin’s heart is purple for her mother, Susan Goldberg. “My mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2004 and lost her battle in 2005. My mom was an incredible woman, passionate about her family, friends and the community and always standing up for what she believed in.  She was a strong person who never backed down without a fight. I joined the board to continue my mom's fight and to honor her memory and legacy. ”

When asked for a favorite memory of her mother, Robin replied, “The summer before my mom passed, my brother and sister were living in New York so my mom, dad and I decided to take a trip to visit them. New York was always one of my mom’s favorite cities; the phrase ‘shop til you drop’ truly defined her. However, this trip was different than any other. She was so weak and so sick that she was barely able to make it out long without having to go back to the hotel to rest. The fun filled weekend we had all planned turned into a depressing touch of reality that made us all angry and irritable. When it was time to head home, my mom, dad and I left for the airport, beaten down by the outcome of the weekend. When we got to the airport it turned out that our flight had been cancelled. Instead of staying at the airport hoping to get on a later flight, we decided it would be best for my mom if we just booked a flight for the following day. With one more day to spend in NY we decided to do what all good tourists do and go to Bloomingdale's. The store was near closing but we still had a few minutes to shop around. Riding up the elevator my mom looked at herself in the mirror and started to cry. The reality of her sickness had hit and she hated the toll it had taken on her looks. At that moment we decided it would be a great idea if she got a makeover. Although the store was supposed to close soon, the nice woman at the makeup counter decided to help us anyway. An hour later, the women handed my mom a mirror and everything changed. She was a new woman; there was a glow in her face and a sparkle in her eye that we had not seen since before her diagnosis. Throughout her entire sickness we never saw her look this happy. At this moment her whole demeanor changed, she was happy, confident and full of energy. With this newfound energy, we decided to give the weekend one more try and go out to a nice dinner. The weekend that had started out miserable had finally changed. For that one night we had forgotten about her sickness and were all happy.  We left that night with a little bit of hope and a feeling that everything was going to be OK. This was the last time the 5 of us would ever spend together, but it is a night that I will never forget.”

Now, for some fun facts about Robin…

At one point, Robin had been a kickboxing instructor when she lived in Atlanta, 

Robin’s favorite summer activity in Chicago is “Anything outside! I love going to Ravinia for a concert in the park or just having drinks on a rooftop or patio.”

When asked where she would go if she could go anywhere in the world on vacation, Robin responded, “I love traveling and my list of desired locations is robust but right now I think top of the list might be Greece.”

Robin is a native of Birmingham, AL and currently lives in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. She graduated with a BA from the University of Arizona. She currently works as Account Director at ignition, an experiential marketing agency.8675309;">Save
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Meet Ryan Shepherd, YPB Member

Ryan Shepherd, YPB Member

Ryan's heart is purple for his grandfather Rollo Kuebler. “My Grandpa was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December of 2011. He fought hard and lived to see the birth of his first great grandchild before losing his battle in July of 2012. The swiftness of this disease and the lack of warning signs drove me to get involved with the YPB and support early detection research.”

Now, for some fun facts about Ryan...

Ryan's favorite quote is "The most dangerous phrase in the language is, ‘We've always done it this way.’ - Grace Hopper."

His favorite sports teams are “the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and my hometown teams, the Nashville Predators and Tennessee Titans."

Ryan’s favorite summer activity in Chicago is “watching fireworks on the 4th of July from a rooftop in West Town. The 360 degree, hours long vista is a truly unique Chicago experience.” When asked what his favorite restaurant in the city is, Ryan replied “I have a soft spot for the Costa Rican cuisine at Irazu. Being BYOB doesn't hurt either.”

Ryan’s dream vacation is “to hop on a train in Lisbon and take it across Europe to Istanbul. In the meantime, I am working on a trip across central Europe to Munich, Prague, and Vienna.”

Ryan is a native of Nashville, TN and currently lives in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. He graduated with a BA from the University of Notre Dame and with a MBA from Vanderbilt University. He currently works in Enterprise Sales at Microsoft.

Meet Joe Meginnes, YPB Member

Joe Meginnes, YPB Member

Joe's heart is purple for his many friends and their families who have lost loved ones to pancreatic cancer. "Since I started working with the Rolfe Foundation, I've discovered many more personal connections to pancreatic cancer than I ever knew existed. This disease has been so ruthless to so many." 

When asked for a favorite memory of someone who was touched by pancreatic cancer, Joe responded, "I love seeing pancreatic cancer survivors at our meetings and events and knowing that our Board is doing everything in its power to grow their numbers."

Now, for some fun facts about Joe...

Joe was challenged and inspired by something he saw recently on the blog Wait But Why: 

"I think a great way to be a good person is to get in the habit of consciously thinking about the fact that almost every stranger, co-worker, friend, acquaintance, fling, customer service representative, driver, waiter, customer, client, neighbor, and person on the internet you come across: 

-Has a family who loves them and vice versa 
-Has hopes and dreams and regrets and frustrations 
-Has as many thoughts going through their head at all times as you do 
-Is dealing with random health problems, trying to make ends meet financially, and is probably tired 
-Might be supporting one or more other human beings 
-Might be just a little sad all the time about a tragedy in their past
-Might be the most important person in someone else’s life 
-Is just trying to figure out how to be happy

i.e. They’re a full human just like you." 

One of Joe's favorite summer activities in Chicago is "watching a great band play an evening set at a street festival or other outdoor venue."

His favorite restaurants in the city are The Publican and Irazu. 

Growing up, Joe aspired to be the GM of the Chicago Cubs. 

When asked who inspires him, Joe replied: "People who give of themselves without any promise of future return." 

One word that describes Joe is "genuine." 

When asked where he would go if he could go anywhere in the world on vacation, Joe replied "Machu Picchu, Spain, or Alaska." 

Joe said that one goal he would like to accomplish during his lifetime would be to "explore all 50 states with my wife Amy."

Meet Matthew Lescohier, YPB Member

Matthew Lescohier, YPB Member

Matthew's heart is purple for his Uncle Rick, who was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer last summer and is still fighting the disease. "We are blessed with a large extended family in the area that is supporting my uncle and his family but I still felt helpless and that I wanted to do more. I decided to get involved in the board to show my support, and to provide an outlet for other family members that I thought might feel the same as me."

When asked for a favorite memory about his uncle, Matthew responded, "There are so many great times I have shared with Rick. When I was younger, Rick, my brother Andy and I used to watch the Three Stooges together, and just laugh and laugh. Rick does a fantastic impression of Curly, and helped me hone one of my own." 

Now, for some fun facts about Matthew...

Matthew's favorite quote is "Accept the past, enjoy the present and work hard towards the future."

When asked who inspires him, Matthew said, "The way my uncle has handled the challenges of the disease has been inspiring. I also admire people like Bill Gates that pledge their time, energy and money towards making the world a better place.."

His favorite sports teams are the Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls and Illini, and his favorite summer activities in Chicago include "going to the lake to windsurf, sail or play beach volleyball." 

When asked where he would go if he could go anywhere in the world on vacation, Matthew replied, "Australia and New Zealand are at the top of my current list."

Growing up, Matthew aspired to be "an architect or astronaut, depending on the day."

Matthew said that one goal he would like to accomplish during his lifetime would be to "celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary."

Matthew is a Chicago native and currently lives in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. He graduated with a BSME from UIUC in '02 and with a MBA from UChicago in '07. He currently works as a Senior Director of Alliances and Channel at MapR Technologies.

Meet Clare Willis, YPB Member

Clare Willis, YPB Member

Clare's heart is purple for her grandma. According to Clare, "My grandma was a remarkable woman who traveled the world making friends everywhere she went. She inspired my curiosity and creativity. She was also a tireless volunteer. Pancreatic cancer took her within three weeks of her diagnosis. I am involved in the YPB to fight the cancer that took her and to honor her legacy of volunteer work."

When asked about her favorite memory of her grandma, Clare replied, "I used to sleep over at my grandma's condo. We would knit, talk, eat, and watch ballroom dancing and British comedies on PBS. She loved to laugh."

Now, for some fun facts about Clare...

Clare has been collecting bottle caps since a New Years Eve party in 2001. "I have over 300 different caps and no idea what to do with them."

Her favorite sports team is the Chicago Bears and her favorite part of summer in Chicago is "being able to walk everywhere."

When asked who inspires her, Clare replied, "My husband Chris is always looking for ways to take his time and talents and use them to help others."

As a child, Clare aspired to be "first female president of the United States or a children's book author." Clare is now the mom to a sweet little boy who loves "Hamilton, dinosaurs, and fruit."

When asked where she would go if she could go anywhere in the world on vacation, she responded, "Tokyo."

Clare is from Antioch, IL and currently lives in Chicago's Edison Park neighborhood. She graduated with a BA from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, JD from Chicago-Kent College of Law and MSLIS from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She currently works as a Research Librarian at Chicago-Kent College of Law.

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Meet Megan Bornhauser, YPB Member

Megan Bornhauser, YPB Member

Megan's heart is purple for her grandpa, Jim Bornhauser. "My grandpa was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January of 2011 a month before turning 88 and had always been in good health. The cancer advanced quickly and he was hospitized and on hospice by his 88th birthday on Valentine's Day. A few short, but tremendously hard months later he passed away on April 20th."

As Megan recalls, "My favorite memory about my grandpa is that he was always a joy to be around and never met a stranger. He also always kept hard candy and tootsie rolls in his pocket."

Now, for some fun facts about Megan...

Megan's favorite quote is one from her grandpa: "Have a great day and a better tomorrow."

Her favorite sports teams are the St. Louis Cardinals and the Mizzou Tigers.

Megan enjoys golfing and golfed in college as an undergraduate. In the summer, her favorite activity is "anything at the pool." In the winter, Megan enjoys skiing in Colorado.

Megan's favorite restaurant is Bavette's, which she describes has "great food and amazing ambiance."

Megan is from Columbia, MO and currently lives in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. She graduated with a Bachelors from William Woods University and with a Masters in HR Management from Webster University. She currently works as a Human Resources Manager at Sidley Austin LLP.

Meet Tim Fugger, YPB Member

Tim Fugger, YPB Member

Tim's heart is purple for his father, who lost his battle to pancreatic cancer during Tim's sophomore year of high school. His loss inspired Tim to join the YPB in the fight for finding an early detection method.

According to Tim, "since my loss, I have never met a single person who had a similar story to me. It brings me great satisfaction to join a foundation and group of people that are are fighting for the same things I am."

Now, for some fun facts about Tim...

As Tim describes, "I recently finished a 3 year injury prone NFL career. I was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2012 and spent time with the Arizona Cardinals, as well as the New York Jets."

Tim is from Oak Brook, IL and currently lives in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a major in Human & Organizational Development and a minor in Corporate Strategy.

He currently works as an Account Executive at Simply Smart Technology. "We completely manage the Information Technology of small to medium size businesses headquartered in Chicago. Many of our clients have branch offices throughout the US and we even support an international office in India."