In this extremely motivational episode of the Project Purple Podcast, host Dino Verrelli speaks with Michael Kennedy of Vermont, a lawyer and avid runner whose 20 years on the roads and trails unexpectedly prepared him for the toughest marathon of his life: pancreatic cancer.
Michael shares how his story began in 2023, a year packed with long runs, two marathons, and a 100‑mile relay. But when back pain crept in after the relay, he brushed it off as age or overtraining. But within weeks, his symptoms escalated: rapid weight loss, changes in digestion, and eventually, a scan soon confirmed what no runner expects to hear: a tumor was on his pancreas.
He recounts how his diagnosis in October 2023 launched him into treatment with the same discipline he’d honed as an athlete. Michael reflects on the months of chemotherapy, the neuropathy that forced him to wear mittens just to grab milk from the fridge, and the exhausting stretch of radiation—all to make surgery possible. In June 2024, he underwent a Whipple procedure with an innovative addition he advocated to have: a cutting‑edge CIVASheet radiation implant that allowed him to avoid post‑surgery chemo.
Michael also describes how, even through treatment, he kept running. Running became a lifeline: “It’s not gonna take the things from me unless it beats ’em out of me,” he says. He explains how discovering Project Purple gave him something to look forward to: a goal of finishing a marathon in the same calendar year as his Whipple surgery. Just months after leaving the hospital, he crossed the finish line of a December marathon in Jacksonville wearing a Project Purple singlet, and has since completed other races with the organization.
In this conversation, Mike opens up about scanxiety, hope, and the power of staying positive. He discusses how his runner’s mindset and experience being a high school basketball coach have taught him that you can do hard things one step at a time, which helped him through chemo and into recovery. And he offers practical advice: know the symptoms, and when life hands you a challenge, focus on WIN: What’s Important Now.
Mike’s story is one of three Ps: positivity, perseverance, and the unexpected ways our passions can prepare us for life’s biggest battles.
You can find Mike on Instagram at: http://instagram.com/mkennedyvt/
Subscribe to the Project Purple Podcast to hear more stories from the pancreatic cancer community.
