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Thomas as a child with his dad, John.
In his self-written eulogy, John Donohue, a lover and teacher of Latin, included a quote from Roman poet Horace: Non omnis moriar — “not all of me will die.”
Indeed, John’s legacy lives on.
Since John’s passing from pancreatic cancer in 2014, John’s wife, Karen, their two children, Eleanor and Thomas, and numerous family and friends, have participated in PanCAN PurpleStride, our biggest community event of the year. Their team, John’s Band, has raised more than $93,000 to help patients and their families get the information and resources they need to thrive and further PanCAN’s research efforts.
This year, Thomas took his fundraising to a new level. So far for PurpleStride 2026 alone, he has raised more than $71,000 in honor of his dad and to change the story of this disease.
How? Livestreaming for PanCAN. To say Thomas got creative is an understatement — and we’re cheering him on now and at PurpleStride on Saturday, April 25!
We had the honor of connecting with Thomas to discuss how he’s keeping his dad’s legacy alive with his innovative fundraising.
PanCAN: How were you connected with PanCAN?
Thomas: I lost my dad to pancreatic cancer in 2014, when I was in the fifth grade. My family learned about PurpleStride and formed a team with our family and friends.
PanCAN: Can you share a bit about your dad, John?
Thomas: My dad was great at a lot of things! I loved hearing him sing and practice guitar in the other room when it was time for bed. I didn’t love hearing him dissect my brutal pitching outing in Little League, but it was probably necessary. One of his pastel portraits is hanging on the wall above me as I write this paragraph. Even so, I remember him best as an entertainer. He loved to laugh and make others laugh. He had such a quick wit and undeniable charisma that played so well off of his general awkwardness. I absolutely inherited that.
PanCAN: Can you tell me about your team’s name, John’s Band?
Thomas: My dad loved music more than anything. He loved to jam with family and friends, and we’ve made a tradition of playing together every year at a backyard festival we’ve termed “Johnaroo.” There’s no explicit relation to the Grateful Dead’s “Uncle John’s Band,” but it helps with brand recognition.
PanCAN: Your fundraising strategy is very unique — can you tell us more about your livestreams?
Thomas: I’ve been uploading videos to YouTube and livestreaming on Twitch for almost five years now, though I’ve only done it full-time since I graduated from William & Mary last May.
I’ve always loved creative work, and content creation is such a perfect intersection of all my interests. Video editing, graphic design, digital art, music composition and music production are all things I love doing, and I’m grateful that I get to practice those skills every day. The revenue from advertisements and sponsorships on my videos helped me pay some of my tuition and even buy my first car, which is still impossible to wrap my mind around.
PanCAN: For those who don’t know, can you explain how your livestream fundraising works?
Thomas: For the last six months, I held 10 livestreams, doing exceedingly stupid stuff on camera. I dressed as a wizard, played old games from the early 2000s, made a fool of myself in competitive online golf, tried to make cheeseburgers in an Easy-Bake Oven and read fanfiction my viewers had written about me. Thankfully, tons of incredibly generous people tuned in!
I watched as the milestone rewards I had set were surpassed one by one. We raised $10,000, so I got my first tattoo. Then we raised $25,000, so I pierced my ears. Then $50,000, which is why my hair is purple now. Thankfully we ended up shy of $1 million, since my reward for that milestone was cutting off both of my arms!
Over 1500 people donated at some point during the charity course, many of whom live thousands of miles from me. It’s incredible to see so many people come together to work toward a common goal, and I’m glad it went as well as it did because the Easy-Bake broadcast made me sick for like three days.
PanCAN: What would you say to someone who’s thinking about joining PurpleStride but hasn’t signed up yet?
Thomas: I honestly dreaded my first PurpleStride because I thought it was going to be a bummer. I was expecting a somber atmosphere that just made me miss my dad more. That is so far from the truth. Talking with family and friends, meeting survivors and walking the walk itself all made for an unexpectedly fun and uplifting experience. There’s truly no harm in showing up, and I’d wager you’ll probably end up coming back next year.
