Finn Quitno is only a junior in high school. In his hometown of Park Ridge, Illinois, most of Finn’s life revolves around either homework, soccer, or track practice. However, when his second cousin was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Finn’s world turned upside down as his family rallied to take care of her.
When Kyra, his cousin, passed away this year, Finn and his mother Kristen wanted to do something to honor her pancreatic cancer journey. They decided to host a cornhole tournament to raise funds for Project Purple. All the proceeds from this event went towards Project Purple’s annual Horner Hustle 5k. Through this tournament, the Quitnos were able to fundraise over $1,000 in Kyra’s honor. Together, mother and son got to give back to the pancreatic cancer community, in the hope that their efforts will support future patients.
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The Quitnos Face Pancreatic Cancer
In September of 2022, Finn’s second cousin was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. Kyra was only forty-three at the time of her diagnosis with two young daughters and a daycare business.
“Her diagnosis came out of nowhere,” said Finn, “It was really confusing.”
“When you hear the words pancreatic cancer, you know it’s not good,” added Kristen. “And what avenues that were available to her– the treatment was so grueling, and it was just, it was shocking.”
Kristen and Kyra had always been very close. So, when Kyra was diagnosed, Kristen’s sole goal was to make sure her cousin was as comfortable as possible.
“We grew up in the same town,” explained Kristen. Her sister and I are the same age and my brother and Kyra were the same age. We six cousins (including Kyra’s three siblings) had many fun times growing up together.
Kyra’s extended family, her two sisters and brother, her dear parents, and the best of friends, including a true soul sister, stepped up to support Kyra and her girls through her treatment. Kristen did her best to support her cousin by bringing meals to the home, spending time with her, and doing her best to help around the house.
“It was intense, and it was brutal. It was nothing that I could even think was possible that a person could endure,” said Kristen. “It wasn’t a long battle, and it felt like every day was really really difficult for her. Kyra wanted to live and gave it her all.”
For his part, Finn and his siblings took on more roles at home, stepping up around the house, watching his siblings, and lifting his mom’s spirits any chance he could. When needed, Finn would help entertain Kyra’s young girls with the help of his brother Carsen and sister Millie.
“When my mom left to take care of her cousin, the vibe in the house was really heavy. It wasn’t really happy in our house during that time,” said Finn, “I was just trying to keep things stable and step up.”
However, Kristen was able to find some special moments during Kyra’s journey. Her biggest source of comfort was truly her cousin, and getting to spend time with her during her treatment.
“When you go into parenthood, you feel pulled by so much,” explained Kristen, “it allowed us to spend some one-on-one time together. I would go over to her house and bring her orange juice, or soup, or some ice cream. Kyra was a massive lover of 90210, so she’d always have 90210 on when I came over. Her diagnosis just really allowed us to spend some time together and talk about our love for our girls.”
Kyra passed away in April of 2023, only seven months after her diagnosis.
“It seems to me that the common theme with people who fight pancreatic cancer is that everyone seems so brave,” said Kristen, “and that’s the word I would use to describe Kyra throughout the whole seven months–she was incredibly brave.”
Fundraising is a Team Effort
Both Finn and his mother wanted to show their support for Kyra while she was going through her diagnosis and were familiar with Horner Hustle, an annual event hosted by Project Purple. It seemed like the perfect fit.
“Mike Horner’s sister-in-law actually lived down the street from us,” explained Kristen. “Through several connections, (including Mike’s mother-in-law having been a principal of a school in the district that I teach in), I knew about Mike’s journey with cancer. I had always intended to run in the Horner Hustle, but the timing never worked out. I finally was able to run the Horner Hustle for the first time last year, just weeks before my cousin was diagnosed. And once we decided to raise money for Project Purple, we knew it was the perfect match.”
Horner Hustle has always been a popular event in the Project Purple community since 2017, when Kathleen Balducci and her family started the race to honor her brother-in-law, Mike Horner. Horner’s battle with pancreatic cancer only lasted about nine months, but the resilience and strength he showed during his diagnosis is something his family has never forgotten. Today, this in-person and virtual run has been a staple for six years not just in the Project Purple community, but for the families of Park Ridge as well.
To fundraise for the event, the Quitnos hosted a cornhole tournament at their home in Park Ridge. Finn rallied his soccer teammates, friends, and cousins, spreading the word on social media for the event. With a $20 buy-in, the Quitnos were able to jumpstart their fundraising campaign for Project Purple.
“It was a team effort,” explained Finn.
“Both Finn and I find a lot of comfort in physical activity,” said Kristen, “Finn is a very busy kid with a lot of love for sports. And I have been a runner for a long time. I run three mornings a week with a group of women before school. That group of women helped me a lot, being in nature, and being able to run. I woke up many mornings crying but running with my tribe helped me calm down and concentrate on teaching my students.”
“I’ve been playing sports ever since I could walk. They relieve stress; they’re always something I look forward to,” explained Finn. “Sports have always been a big part of my life.”
Even though the Quitnos didn’t run the race, they still had an amazing time volunteering at the event. They both enjoyed seeing their friends and neighbors show up and support the pancreatic cancer community.
“I’ve always run races, but I’ve seldom been on the other side,” said Kristen. “It was really fun and it was so great to see so many people come to the event.”
“I had never volunteered at a race before, but I have run some 5ks before. The high school hockey team and the dance team were there,” said Finn. “It was really cool to see a bunch of people from our town there.”
This year the event saw a total of 259 registrations. These nearly three hundred participants raised a total of almost $10,000 for the fight against this disease. The Quitnos contributed about $1,500 to the fundraising efforts.
All the proceeds from the event contribute directly to Project Purple’s mission of a world without pancreatic cancer and the search for new treatment methods and early detection for this disease. Kathleen and her family believe that research is the best way to combat this disease.
“The most devastating part of the whole thing was the elusiveness of what pancreatic cancer symptoms could even be,” said Kristen. “Knowing that Project Purple is really working hard to make some inroads into research and early detection–we loved that even in a small way, we got to be a part of it. It was the first year that we have been involved, however, it is not going to be our last.”
Fighting for a Better Future
Kristen and Finn are now doing their best to keep Kyra’s memory alive by supporting the pancreatic cancer community in any way they can.
“Watching my sweet, sweet cousin struggle, really changed the trajectory of my life,” explained Kristen. “Now, if there is anything I can do to help– that’s what’s on my heart.”
Now, Kristen is looking ahead and has officially entered to run the Chicago marathon with Project Purple next year. And of course, Finn will be right there on the sidelines to cheer his mother on.
If you are interested in getting involved with Project Purple please click here for more information. Thank you so much to Kristen and Finn for helping out at Horner Hustle; we can’t wait to see you again next year!
