This is Bob’s story and the
impact we’ve made
First and foremost
Thank you!
Almost everyone has been impacted in some way by the devastating effects of cancer and, unfortunately, our family is no exception. You never know when or how you may be impacted by cancer or what shape it may take in your life. Bob's passion for supporting the American Cancer Society and related non-profit organizations started in 1994, well before his own Stage 2B pancreatic cancer diagnosis in July 2021.
Seeing friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and even strangers join in and offer unconditional support and generous donations toward this cause has meant more than words can say.
Bob's journey to the track
Taking part in ACS events gave Bob the chance to make a difference and inspire hope through raising funds for groundbreaking research and services for people, like myself, who are currently battling cancer.
Click on the timeline to learn more about his incredible journey.
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At the age of 42, Bob made the decision to stop crashing into other people on the hockey rink, and took up running so he could compete in his first Road America ACS event—a 4-mile run. The next fall at Road America, he registered for the 8-mile event which was the start of his 17-year running career.
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Bob realized that he could run a marathon distance and, better yet, he could commit to raising money for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society’s “Team in Training” program. Bob ran his first of three marathons in Anchorage, Alaska in 1999. In 2002, he signed up both himself and his wife, Lynn, for a second marathon distance in Dublin, Ireland. In 2008, he participated in a third fundraising event and a marathon in Maui, Hawaii.
Raising money for Leukemia research and running those three races was a priceless experience.
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Bob was asked if he would be interested in working as co-chair for the Hit The Road Run/Walk, benefiting the American Cancer Society. He accepted the offer and enjoyed it every year.
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Bob took his wife’s advice on Saturday, July 1, 2021 and visited the Aurora walk-in clinic. Blood tests identified a potential problem with his liver. Ten days later he was at the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic to discus the treatment plan for stage 2B pancreatic cancer.
His oncologist scheduled a 6-month chemo program to shrink the tumor before scheduling a surgery at St. Luke’s on March 8, 2022. After recovery from the surgery, Bob completed an additional 30 sessions of radiation and chemotherapy.
On August 18, 2022, Bob sat down with his oncologist to discuss his final CT scan and found out that he was “cancer free.”
A few months later, on November 18, 2022, a CT scan showed that the cancer had returned to his pancreas and had also spread to his liver and lungs.
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Bob bravely endured many rounds of aggressive chemotherapy throughout 2023 and ended his treatment protocol in August as his body had stopped responding to treatments and the cancer continued to spread.
Jimmy Valvano's mantra of "Don't give up. Don't EVER give up." was a consistent thread is his tenacity to fight cancer and to have as many good days as possible.
The fundraising efforts of our family and friends gave him such pride and served as a bright spot to focus on throughout these difficult days. He saw us hit the $40k fundraising mark the night he came home from the hospital for the last time and was so very grateful and touched by the love and support.
Bob passed way peacefully at home on October 1, 2023—surrounded by his loving family and the most beautiful sunrise.
Our amazing 2023 event sponsors
So many amazing local companies stepped up to support our Team Lindorfer fundraising events through donations of raffle items or monetary donations to support our ACS through our team. Without these organizations, fundraisers like ours wouldn't be possible. Every donation and every dollar makes a bigger difference than we may ever know.
Interested in getting involved for 2024? We'd love to have you on our team!
