Pancreatic Cancer

The Harne family, sporting purple hair and fingernails, participated recently in the Purple Stride event in Baltimore to raise awareness for the fight against pancreatic cancer. It was the family's second year of participating in the event in memory of Greg Harne, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2010. Jeff, Jenna, Tyler, Heather and Dee Harne exceeded their fundraising goal this year, thanks to many employees at Head Start of Washington County. The Baltimore walk raised more than $161,000 to help in the fight against pancreatic cancer.

If all had gone according to plan, Patricia Firey would find out sometime this month that she has pancreatic cancer. But all didn't go according to plan. By a fluke, Firey had a magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) scan of her pancreas in February instead of waiting for her appointment later this month. That fluke might save her life, she says. The MRCP scan - a special type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - showed that Firey, 65, a Clear Spring-area resident, might have pancreatic cancer.

Give thanks without meat To the editor: As friends and family gather to share a heart Thanksgiving feast, millions of Americans will be sitting down to a completely meatless meal. As a dietitian, I applaud the growing number of Americans who forego high-fat holiday fare and indulge instead in a cornucopia of healthful and delicious vegetarian foods. The abundance of fatty foods at most Thanksgiving tables means 'tis the season for weight gain. Being overweight or obese can contribute to heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancer.

Gilbert John Paprocki, 73, of Rohrersville, Md., passed away Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, at home after suffering a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Born April 16, 1939, in Milwaukee, Wis., he was the son of the late Paul P. and Irene (Lesniewski) Paprocki. He served in the U.S Navy for 10 years aboard the first nuclear submarine. He retired from the U.S. Postal Service as manager of training and development in Merrifield, Va. Gil is survived by his wife, Margaret; his son, Sean; his older brother, Robert of Atlanta, Ga.; his sister-in-law, Marlene of Milwaukee; and three nephews.

Lewis C. Metzner never thought much about giving up cigarettes. He thought kicking the habit would be too difficult, said Metzner, who began smoking when he was about 11 and began puffing seriously toward the end of law school 20 years ago. A bout with a virus in early April led to an unintentional break from smoking, but it was a pledge the Hagerstown City Councilman made to his dying father that he believes will keep him free of the habit...

HAGERSTOWN - Buckshot, Katie and Obu-Jet are rolling in the money. When Ken Kemper, the former owner of the dogs, died of cancer last year, the well-heeled hounds inherited a house in Hagerstown and $400,000 from his estate. All together, the tail-wagging trio is worth about $800,000. The dogs live at their house on Marion Street with caretaker Roy Grady. "They get the best care," Grady said. "They don't know they have more money than most people. " When Katie sneaked out the gate last summer and was struck by a car, she received the best medical attention available, including 40 visits to the veterinarian's office to mend her broken legs and hip, Grady said.

SHARPSBURG - Joe Hebda and his son used to ride their bicycles on the pastoral trails of Antietam National Battlefield. On Saturday, Joe came to the battlefield to remember 5-year-old Zach, who died of leukemia June 19. Hebda and his mother, Rose, both of Pasadena, Md., were among more than 100 people who participated in a "Light the Night Leukemia Walk" at the battlefield Saturday. Nationwide, the campaign has raised $4.5 million. The Hebdas, who lost Zach's grandfather Joseph to pancreatic cancer the same week they lost Zach, couldn't hold back their tears of grief.

Williamsport native Dr. Cara Sedney never thought becoming a brain surgeon would land her on television. As a neurosurgery resident at West Virginia University's Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., television is not something she has time for in her busy schedule. But on Thursday at 10 p.m., Sedney and the team of doctors in the neurosurgery department led by Dr. Julian Bailes will be featured on an episode of ABC News' "Nightline Prime: Secrets of Your Mind, Why We Do What We Do. " A camera crew followed the 1999 Williamsport High School graduate and her colleagues around Ruby Memorial Hospital for months, watching and recording as they treated patients.

HAGERSTOWN ? Buckshot, Katie and Obu-Jet are rolling in the money. When Ken Kemper, the former owner of the dogs, died of cancer last year, the well-heeled hounds inherited a house in Hagerstown and $400,000 from his estate. All together, the tail-wagging trio is worth about $800,000. The dogs live at their house on Marion Street with caretaker Roy Grady. "They get the best care," Grady said. "They don't know they have more money than most people. " When Katie snuck out the gate last summer and was struck by a car, she received the best medical attention available, including 40 visits to the veterinarian's office to mend her broken legs and hip, Grady said.

Peter "Pete" Moller Daniels' middle name is a clue to his longtime connection to Hagerstown.  As the grandson of Mathias Peter M.P.Moller, founder of M.P. Moller Inc. pipe organ company, Peter grew up with the workings of the renowned pipe organ company not only in name, but in his blood. Pete's mother, Martha Moller, was M.P.'s daughter. She married Wilson Riley Daniels II. Their son's natural inclinations as a tinkerer and his love for electronics and gadgetry were a good fit as he rose through the ranks of the company.

The Harne family, sporting purple hair and fingernails, participated recently in the Purple Stride event in Baltimore to raise awareness for the fight against pancreatic cancer. It was the family's second year of participating in the event in memory of Greg Harne, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2010. Jeff, Jenna, Tyler, Heather and Dee Harne exceeded their fundraising goal this year, thanks to many employees at Head Start of Washington County. The Baltimore walk raised more than $161,000 to help in the fight against pancreatic cancer.

Gilbert John Paprocki, 73, of Rohrersville, Md., passed away Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, at home after suffering a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Born April 16, 1939, in Milwaukee, Wis., he was the son of the late Paul P. and Irene (Lesniewski) Paprocki. He served in the U.S Navy for 10 years aboard the first nuclear submarine. He retired from the U.S. Postal Service as manager of training and development in Merrifield, Va. Gil is survived by his wife, Margaret; his son, Sean; his older brother, Robert of Atlanta, Ga.; his sister-in-law, Marlene of Milwaukee; and three nephews.

Rhonda Cool admits she was spoiled. Since meeting Terry F. Cool Sr. in 1989, he had been the only one to cut her hair. She just had her first haircut by someone else, and she said it's going to take some getting used to. "He always knew how I liked it," Rhonda said. Known as one of the foursome of longtime barbers at Razor's Edge Barber Shop - which now is in Fountainhead Plaza behind Olympia Candy Kitchen - Terry had quite a following of regular customers. Terry kept neatly trimmed the hair of his family members - including two of his three children, two stepchildren and five grandchildren, who called him "PapPap" - until about a month before his death, when he no longer had the strength.

Peter "Pete" Moller Daniels' middle name is a clue to his longtime connection to Hagerstown.  As the grandson of Mathias Peter M.P.Moller, founder of M.P. Moller Inc. pipe organ company, Peter grew up with the workings of the renowned pipe organ company not only in name, but in his blood. Pete's mother, Martha Moller, was M.P.'s daughter. She married Wilson Riley Daniels II. Their son's natural inclinations as a tinkerer and his love for electronics and gadgetry were a good fit as he rose through the ranks of the company.

Williamsport native Dr. Cara Sedney never thought becoming a brain surgeon would land her on television. As a neurosurgery resident at West Virginia University's Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., television is not something she has time for in her busy schedule. But on Thursday at 10 p.m., Sedney and the team of doctors in the neurosurgery department led by Dr. Julian Bailes will be featured on an episode of ABC News' "Nightline Prime: Secrets of Your Mind, Why We Do What We Do. " A camera crew followed the 1999 Williamsport High School graduate and her colleagues around Ruby Memorial Hospital for months, watching and recording as they treated patients.

It's four o'clock in the afternoon. A small waft of steam rises from Chris Ardinger's "venti" Starbucks coffee. Wednesday coffee with family in Chambersburg, Pa., has become a much needed break for Ardinger on this busy day. "Speaking of which," he said, digging in his pocket for the "at least" five post-it notes with the rest of his to-dos for the day. "I have a meeting for the duck derby and some things to do for the cancer society,"...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had surgery Thursday after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the court said. Ginsburg, 75, had the surgery at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. She will remain in the hospital for seven to 10 days, said her surgeon, Dr. Murray Brennan, according to a release issued by the court. The court announcement said the cancer is apparently in the early stages. In 1999, Ginsburg had surgery for colon cancer and had chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

Give thanks without meat To the editor: As friends and family gather to share a heart Thanksgiving feast, millions of Americans will be sitting down to a completely meatless meal. As a dietitian, I applaud the growing number of Americans who forego high-fat holiday fare and indulge instead in a cornucopia of healthful and delicious vegetarian foods. The abundance of fatty foods at most Thanksgiving tables means 'tis the season for weight gain. Being overweight or obese can contribute to heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancer.

HAGERSTOWN - Buckshot, Katie and Obu-Jet are rolling in the money. When Ken Kemper, the former owner of the dogs, died of cancer last year, the well-heeled hounds inherited a house in Hagerstown and $400,000 from his estate. All together, the tail-wagging trio is worth about $800,000. The dogs live at their house on Marion Street with caretaker Roy Grady. "They get the best care," Grady said. "They don't know they have more money than most people. " When Katie sneaked out the gate last summer and was struck by a car, she received the best medical attention available, including 40 visits to the veterinarian's office to mend her broken legs and hip, Grady said.

HAGERSTOWN ? Buckshot, Katie and Obu-Jet are rolling in the money. When Ken Kemper, the former owner of the dogs, died of cancer last year, the well-heeled hounds inherited a house in Hagerstown and $400,000 from his estate. All together, the tail-wagging trio is worth about $800,000. The dogs live at their house on Marion Street with caretaker Roy Grady. "They get the best care," Grady said. "They don't know they have more money than most people. " When Katie snuck out the gate last summer and was struck by a car, she received the best medical attention available, including 40 visits to the veterinarian's office to mend her broken legs and hip, Grady said.