Curt’s sister Julia contacted me a few weeks ago and I am so glad she did. I learned about this beautiful man, her brother Curtis Wada. Curt passed away from pancreatic cancer on Jan. 7, 2009. He lost his battle only 2 1/2 weeks after diagnosis. Two and a half weeks??!! Curtis was 48. Their family is still grieving at the loss of such a beautiful son, brother and amazing soul. Julia now works at the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Thank you Julia.

Julia had an awesome relationship with her brother, she says he was the best big brother ever! He was a very protective , always there for his sisters and was very close to Julia’s son. He would babysit all the time and loved spoiling his nephew. I can tell from his pictures and the love on his dedication page what a sweet heart he has. He taught his nephew how to ride a bike & play the drums!

Curt was the Stage Manager at House of Blues in Anaheim, CA. Music was his passion and he definitely instilled this into his nephew. In looking further into his dedication page I feel like I knew him. His love for rock n roll, his long hair, and that whole era. I was a part of that, and I really feel like I knew him. I noticed he drove this yellow Tower Records van. Who remembers Tower Records? I sure do. I see his friends referencing Curt as the Big Wada 🙂 I love that! What a fun guy!

Curt was diagnosed with PC on Dec. 16, 2008. His PC was not treatable, but he was able to get one round of chemo just for palliative care. The pain was intense. The pain was draining. Through the pain, he still managed to smile for his nephew when he came to visit. On Jan. 7, 2009, Curt passed peacefully with his family by his side. His last words to his sister were “don’t worry, I’m ok…..and I hope they find a cure for this disease in his nephew’s lifetime.” (sigh) We are on our way Curt!

Curt isn’t from Hawaii, but loved visiting the islands. He would talk about Hawaii being the real paradise. He was not the beach type, but still managed to enjoy the beauty of the islands. Hawaii sure is the real paradise, and I am so grateful to be honoring Curt for the Honolulu marathon. I know he will be smiling down on me today as I run my heart out. Heck Curt and I are going to rock out today on this course. I will be playing rock n roll for him, for the whole 26.2 . I see he loved Alice in Chains. Ok Curt I have already downloaded it and we are ready to rock!

Thank you Julia to you and your family for letting me remember Curt in this way. I am so inspired and ready to run with his beautiful spirit by my side. Marathon #37 will be like running in heaven. Curt and I totally got this. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. One day, one day soon….we will be able to say “we got this” in reference to pancreatic cancer. I believe we already do. We are getting there my dear Julia and I will never stop running, never stop fighting until we have a cure.