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The Rogers family, including Renee (second from right).
The Rogers lost their matriarch, Renee, to pancreatic cancer 11 years ago. And for 11 years, her husband Denny, along with their children and others, have organized Renee’s Run events, held in Renee’s honor, raising major funds and awareness for PanCAN.
We were lucky to catch up with one of their daughters, Nicolette, who graciously answered our burning questions about what it’s like to turn your passion into progress for patients and caregivers affected by pancreatic cancer.
We’re grateful to the entire Rogers family for their passion and dedication to ending the world’s toughest cancer.
Can you tell us about your experience connecting with PanCAN?
We first got connected with PanCAN shortly after my mom’s diagnosis back in 2013.
We were contacted by a high school friend of my sister who reached out after hearing about the diagnosis. She shared some helpful insights as her dad had also been fighting pancreatic cancer. So initially, our interaction with the organization was more with PanCAN Patient Services, learning information on nutrition and overall health while in the process of treatment. Unfortunately, my mother’s battle was incredibly short so our involvement with PanCAN quickly shifted.
Team Renee.
At that time, I believe there were only two participating PanCAN support groups in the state of Louisiana which focused on PanCAN PurpleStride events in the New Orleans and Lake Charles areas. Well in 2013, Lake Charles was hosting their 10th and final PurpleStride event (PurpleStride Louisiana 2025 will take place in Baton Rouge on Saturday, April 26, 2025).
Ironically, Lake Charles was my mother’s hometown and where my siblings and I were all born. We spent years of our childhood there before relocating to North Louisiana. We had family reach out with information regarding the event and as a family, we formed a team and participated in the walk just weeks after my mom’s passing. There was something cathartic about turning our grief into action, being around like-minded individuals who were passionate about change.
So, when we returned home, we went to the drawing board and got to work. One of my mom and dad’s closest lifelong friends and his daughter, Scott Tarkowski and Whitney Delaney (along with a host of other family friends), really helped start and gear up the foundation. As we formed the foundation, we naturally attached it to my mom, Renee. We wanted to give our community someone they could identify with – someone they knew well and someone whom they loved and respected.
We wanted pancreatic cancer to have a face instead of a statistic. We formed Renee’s Run with the goal to funnel our proceeds into the mission and purpose of PanCAN. We started this off with the inaugural Tiara’s, Tuxes and Tennis Shoes Banquet and a 5K run. Through the years, we added more community events and involvement which spurred our fundraising including bowling tournaments, radiothons, silent auctions at sporting events, Renee’s Run Mudbugs Hockey games, etc.
What would your mom say to you about what you’re doing to help patients and their loved ones?
My mom was the picture of sacrificial love through service. I grew up with a clear understanding that the best way to love others was through service.
Alongside my dad, she initiated so many different community initiatives which created impact in numerous ways. I have never doubted that if the roles were reversed, she’d be continuing to fight for others in this same way.
Why are you passionate about fundraising for PanCAN?
When my mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the five-year survival rate was in single digits. As one of the deadliest cancers, I was astounded at the gap between this awareness and the drive for further scientific advances.
I remember vividly hearing my mother’s oncologist say, “She will succumb to this disease.” I couldn’t grasp how my otherwise healthy and beautiful mother, at the age of only 50, could possibly be approaching her homecoming to heaven.
Team Renee at PanCAN PurpleStride.
As a mother now, I want to fight for grandparents to be able to meet their future grandchildren, for parents to see their children grow up, for patients to simply know that this diagnosis does not have to be the end for them. I know how dim the light can seem but in these past 10 years, the five-year survival rate has increased into double digits, and I know that these efforts will continue to force change and raise awareness.
Do you have any favorite memories from events you’ve hosted or attended over the past 11 years?
I think our first Renee’s Run banquet and associated events will always hold such a special place in my heart. As a family, we stood together and turned our grief into action. Now, 11 years later, I just participated at PurpleStride Louisiana in April with my two children, aged 2 and 13 months. In that moment, I felt the responsibility to continue these efforts through and alongside my children so they will know and carry on their grandmother’s legacy of service and self-sacrifice.
