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December 11, 2023

Dear Friends of the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation:

As 2023 comes to a close, we want to thank our donors who have contributed so generously to our Annual Appeal. For those who have not made a donation as yet we ask that you consider a tax deductible gift at this time. Your continued support makes it possible to assist cancer patients and their families, as well as leading cancer research centers across the United States. The foundation continues to fund scholarships for students of modest means and diverse backgrounds at Saint John's High School, Shrewsbury, MA. With your donations to date, we are well on our way to making these grants possible again in 2024.

Warmest Regards for the Holiday Season!

NOVEMBER IS PANCREATIC CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
The Patrick Comer Courage Foundation wants to do our part to create a greater awareness about this disease by informing our network of friends. Pancreatic cancer is the 3rd leading cause of cancer deaths, surpassing breast cancer. By 2030 pancreatic cancer will surpass colorectal cancer as the 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths. Pancreatic cancer remains the least understood of all major cancer killers. Know the risk factors and symptoms by referencing the helpful links listed on our website.  Please visit our website www.comercourage.org for more information about our mission, awareness message and grants.

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

Over the past 16 years, the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation has awarded 49 grants to cancer patients, as well as patient care and research programs at leading institutions such as UMass Medical Foundation, Dana Farber, Cleveland Clinic, City of Hope, and the Anderson Family Cancer Institute at Jupiter Medical Center in Jupiter, FL.

The Foundation also funds scholarships at Saint John's High School, Shrewsbury, MA for students of modest means and diverse backgrounds providing a college preparatory education for boys who could not ordinarily afford such an excellent high school education. To date, all our recipients have gone on to college undergraduate programs.

In 2024 Saint John's will dedicate a more permanent memorial to Patrick with the establishment of the Patrick Comer memorial business/financial services library.

As 2023 comes to a close, I hope you will continue to support the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation with a tax-deductible donation. Your gift can be made on line at www.comercourage.org/contribute, or you may send a check to Patrick Comer Courage Foundation, PO Box 30743, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33420.

Thank you for your continuing support and generosity.

-- Jim Comer

President, Patrick Comer Courage Foundation

Nichols College Magazine Fall/Winter 2023

A foundation of courage
Jim Comer ’68

When Jim Comer ’68 and his wife Cheryl created a foundation in memory of their son, they made sure “courage” was in the name. The Patrick Comer Courage Foundation honors a young man not just for the way he lived, but for how he faced his inevitable passing from pancreatic cancer.

“Patrick was so admired by his friends, family and colleagues for the way he approached life after his diagnosis that we wanted to create a legacy in his
memory,” says Comer. “He displayed such courage through it all. He did not put life on hold. He lived it to the fullest.”

By his father’s account, Patrick, who was diagnosed in 2006, remained positive as his cancer progressed over a grueling 27 months. He met every piece of bad news from his doctors with irrepressible hope for the next treatment, even after he entered hospice care. He continued to serve his clients as regional vice president for Mainstay Investments, a division of New York Life, up to three days before his passing. As his health permitted, he maintained his favorite activities like skiing, golfing, sailing, and fishing. He got a rescue dog. He planned his wedding in 2007, marrying shortly before succumbing to the disease in March 2008 at the age of 36.

Comer and his wife, both cancer survivors, were “devastated by the whole situation that we found ourselves in,” Comer recalls. But, inspired by their son’s strength and determination, they sought to bring greater meaning to Patrick’s death by keeping his spirit alive through others.

The mission of the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation is to help ease the emotional and financial burden for individuals and families facing similar struggles. Each year the foundation selects deserving candidates to support
what they need the most, whether it’s supplementing medical bills, childcare expenses, travel and lodging costs, or other household expenses incurred during treatment.

The foundation’s website (www.comercourage.org) features the stories of the patients and families they have helped since 2008. “Living with cancer often begins as an individual journey, but it doesn’t necessarily have to end that way,” Comer is fond of saying. “That’s part of what it has meant to us. To be able to give back in the memory of a great young guy, my son, is special.”

The foundation also aims to promote greater overall awareness of pancreatic cancer as well as support research initiatives. They have provided grants to organizations such as the Cleveland Clinic; City of Hope; Dana Farber;
DetecTogether, which was founded by Nichols Trustee Jim Coghlin ’67; UMass Pancreatic Cancer Alliance; and Jupiter Medical Center, an affiliate of the University of Miami located close to the Comers’ home in Florida.

Since it began, the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation has funded scholarships each year at Patrick’s alma mater Saint John’s, a Xaverian high school in Shrewsbury, Mass. The scholarships support the school’s mission to offer aid to students of modest means and diverse backgrounds. “Education is the great equalizer,” states Comer. “We can’t change the world we live in, but we can
help one boy at a time.

— Susan Veshi

Patrick, Cheryl & Jim Comer James (H) and Cheryl Comer (P'90) were honored at the 2017 Saint John's High School Gala

April, 2017 - Each year, the annual Saint John's Gala celebrates the founding of Saint John's High School and pays tribute to the Xaverian Brothers, lay faculty, staff and the generations of Saint John's alumni and the parents whose dedication and sacrifice have made Saint John's the prominent school that it is today.

The 15th Annual Saint John's High School Gala brought 500 alumni, families and friends together to celebrate the people and values that make Saint John's High School unique.

Few couples embody the mission of Saint John's High School like Jim & Cheryl Comer. Their Foundation, The Patrick Comer Courage Foundation, grants two partial restricted aid scholarships each year to Saint John's students who are graduates of the Nativity School of Worcester. Through its generosity deserving students of modest means are afforded the blessing and opportunity of a Saint John's education. The Foundation was created in 2008 to honor the life and legacy of their son Patrick ('90), who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2008 at age 36.

For more information, please visit the Saint John's website stjohnshigh.org.
 

Become Aware of the Dangers of Pancreatic Cancer

Did you know that pancreatic cancer ranks just 11th in National Cancer Institute spending despite being the 4th leading cause of cancer death? Each year, more than 37,000 Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; more than 33,000 die, making pancreatic cancer more deadly than prostate and close to breast cancer. The five year survival is less than 5 percent.

Know the signs... Pancreatic cancer is silent and sneaky. There are no early detection methods. Here are some of the risk factors and symptoms:

  • Family history of pancreatic cancer
  • Lack of appetite, sudden weight loss
  • Sudden onset diabetes or a sudden change in blood sugar control in diabetes
  • Change of color in urine or stool
  • Indigestion, nausea, vomiting
  • Abdominal/Back pain
  • Chronic pancreatitis
  • Jaundice
  • Fatigue
"Living with cancer often begins as an individual journey, but it doesn’t necessarily have to end that way." - Mr. Jim Comer

To learn more about this specific type of cancer, and to learn how you can become more involved in helping to fight it, contact the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Pancreas Program.

Recent News:
11/02/23 - In 2023, the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation made its fourth quarter grant to the Jupiter Medical Center Foundation Anderson Family Cancer Institute.
Q4-2023: Jupiter Medical Center Foundation Anderson Family Cancer Institute
05/01/23 - In 2023, the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation made its first quarter grant to the Saint John's High School.
Q1-2023: Saint John's
12/02/22 - In 2022, the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation made its fourth quarter grant to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Q4-2022: Dana Farber CI
06/02/22 - In 2022, the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation made its first quarter grant to the Saint John's High School.
Q1-2022: Saint John's
06/02/21 - In 2021, the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation made its first quarter grant to the Saint John's High School.
Q1-2021: Saint John's
06/02/20 - In 2020, the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation made its fourth annual grant to the Jupiter Medical Center Foundation.
Q2-2020: Jupiter Med Center
06/02/19 - In 2019, the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation made its third annual grant to the Jupiter Medical Center Foundation.
Q2-2019: Jupiter Med Center
06/02/18 - In June of 2018, the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation made its second quarter grant to the Jupiter Medical Center Foundation.
Q2-2018: Jupiter Med Center
02/15/18 - In February of 2018, the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation made its first quarter grant to the Saint John's High School.
Q1-2018: Saint John's
06/02/17 - In June of 2017, the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation made its second quarter grant to the 15-40 Connection.
Q2-2017: 15-40 Connection
03/15/17 - In March of 2017, the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation made its first quarter grant to the Jupiter Medical Center Foundation.
Q1-2017: Jupiter Med Center
12/01/16 - In December 2016, the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation made a donation to the Pancreatic Cancer Alliance UMMF.
Q4-2016: PCA - UMass Med
11/02/16 - As 2016 comes to a close, we hope you will continue to support the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation with a tax deductible donation.
2016 Appeal Letter PDF
08/01/16 - In August of 2016, the Patrick Comer Courage Foundation made its annual grant to Saint John’s High School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.
Q3-2016: Saint John's

News Archives...
Saint John’s High School
Taussig Cancer Institute
City of Hope
15-40 Connection is now DetecTogether
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
UMASS MED SCHOOL PANCREAS PROGRAM
Jupiter Medical Center Foundation
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