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(L-R) Thad, Diane, and Teresa at Magic Kingdom.
When Thad Bargman’s mom, Diane, passed away from pancreatic cancer, he looked for ways to honor her. When he learned about PanCAN and PanCAN PurpleStride, he found a way to do just that. On Saturday, April 25, Thad will be taking steps to end pancreatic cancer at PurpleStride Central Florida, his 16th time participating in PanCAN’s biggest community event of the year. He has raised more than $50,000 through PurpleStride to get people like his mom the resources they need.
But before PurpleStride next week, Thad is getting creative with his PurpleStride fundraising. Tomorrow, Saturday 18, Thad will be live streaming from Disney World, doing a marathon ride of the PeopleMover, Diane’s favorite attraction at the theme park.
We had the pleasure of catching up with Thad to learn more about his mom and his inspired way of raising funds to help patients and families get the information and resources they need.
PanCAN: How did you find PanCAN?
Thad: When my mom passed away in 2010, my sister, Teresa, and I started looking for a charity that we wanted to start working with. In the spring of 2011, we participated in the Relay for Life, raising money for the charity. What we didn’t realize at the time was that very little money was given to pancreatic cancer research. We were lucky to be told about the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and participated in our first PurpleStride event in Iowa. We fell in love with PanCAN from day one and have continued to raise money and support them since that time.
Thad (R), with his sister Teresa, Teresa’s husband Brian and their daughter Josie at a PurpleStride event.
PanCAN: Tell us about your mom, Diane.
Thad: Mom grew up in Dubuque, Iowa, and lived there for most of her life. She raised three children, along with our dad, and always made her children the most important thing in her life. She loved Disney and Disney World. Our family vacation every July was almost always to Walt Disney World. She scrimped and saved all year so we could have that magical trip each year!
She also loved sports, mostly the Minnesota Vikings, but also watched the Chicago Cubs, and Iowa Hawkeyes. She eventually moved to The Villages in Florida and was able to spend her last few years living in a place she loved, close to Walt Disney World. Mom loved music, even though she didn’t have a lick of musical ability. You could often hear her singing, off-key, to something while she was walking around the house.
PanCAN: You’re honoring your mom through PurpleStride – what attracted to you the event, and what keeps you coming back each year?
Thad: The initial draw to the event was that it was tied to such an amazing charity. I love that PanCAN has such low overhead, so when a donation is received, you know that it’s going to the cause. I met some great people at the PurpleStride events in Iowa before I moved to Florida, and that sense of community helped bring me and my sister back each year. I think that seeing the progress that was being made by the charity each year convinced me that we were working with the right organization, so I love raising money every year for the cause! I’ve seen the five-year survival rate more than double since my mom died and seeing that rate go up keeps me motivated. It needs to be much higher!
PanCAN: Your fundraising strategy is very unique – can you tell us more about your Disney World/PeopleMover marathon?
Thad: I’m a live streamer on YouTube and focus on the theme parks here in Orlando. Monday through Friday, I’m at the parks for six to seven hours a day, hanging out, riding rides and bringing people at home the magic of the theme parks here in Central Florida.
Since my mom loved Magic Kingdom, and PeopleMover was one of her favorite rides, I decided to do a ride marathon stream to raise money for PanCAN. This Saturday, April 18, I’ll be live streaming from 7:45 a.m. -- 5 p.m. ET, on the Theme Park Giant YouTube channel. I’ll be riding the PeopleMover for eight hours (8 a.m. -- 4 p.m. ET). I’ll be hanging out all day with the chat, talking about PanCAN, the disease and so much more. It’s all a fun way to get the word out about this amazing organization and hopefully raise a lot of money for PanCAN!
Diane wearing a Vikings jersey, her favorite team.
PanCAN: For those who don’t know, can you explain how your live stream fundraising works?
Thad: With live streams on YouTube, there’s an active chat community during the actual live stream. I have a team of moderators that handle the chat, making sure they’re interacting with the viewing community. Every month, I take half of the donations I get and we donate that money to a charity, the other half goes to support me and my channel. This month, all the money raised during my normal streams will be donated to PanCAN through my PurpleStride Personal Fundraising Page.
During the charity live stream, I’ll have the moderators put the link to my fundraising page in the chat throughout the stream, and I’ll also have various graphics and overlays pointing people to the right place. The moderators and I will be asking people to donate throughout the event, like any fund drive that you’d see on television! People love the PeopleMover, and they love donating to good causes, so I think it could do really well!
PanCAN: How has participating in PurpleStride shaped your sense of community or connection with others affected by pancreatic cancer?
Thad: I think one of the most helpful things was finding other people who had gone through the process of losing a loved one to this terrible disease. The sense of community makes you feel like you’re not alone. It’s always encouraging to see the huge crowds at PurpleStride, seeing the community come together for a common cause.
Since I lost my mom in 2010, I’ve had several friends or co-workers lose someone to pancreatic cancer. Because I’ve been such an advocate for PanCAN, they always reach out to me once they find out what they’re dealing with. I feel like those of us who’ve already gone down this road with a loved one need to educate others.
Diane was an avid baker.
PanCAN: What would you say to someone who’s thinking about joining PurpleStride but hasn’t registered yet?
Thad: What are you waiting for? It’s an amazing charity with a proven track record of actually getting results. You can be confident that any money you raise will be used in the best possible way to fight this terrible disease!
