Mary, Jessica and Jennifer Hudon make up “Dadcore,” a small, but high-impact team dedicated to raising awareness and supporting research for pancreatic cancer.
Mary, Jessica and Jennifer lost their husband and father to the deadly disease in 2011. Like many with pancreatic cancer, Mark Hudon, a talented woodworker, only survived for one month after his diagnosis. Asymptomatic in the early stages, pancreatic cancer is one of the few cancers for which survival rates have not improved over the past 40 years. It remains the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.
Fueled by their personal loss, Dadcore participates annually in multiple charity walks and runs for pancreatic cancer and has raised thousands of dollars from family, friends, neighbors and colleagues. Mary, Jessica and Jennifer have even been known to dye their hair purple—the color of pancreatic cancer awareness—on occasion.
“The Hudons take all the love they have for Mark and get out there every day to bring awareness to pancreatic cancer,” says nominator Ashley Kayser, RN, who cared for Mark during his hospitalization at the Mass General Cancer Center. “Working as an oncology nurse can be very difficult. However, the Hudons are a reminder of why I do this job.”
