NO ONE FIGHTS ALONE.

On October 28th, 2022, Maria Hoppel passed away at home, surrounded by her husband, her children, her grandchildren, sisters, family, and friends. Mom was surrounded by love. Mom was surrounded by all of us.

The Story

And So This is Christmas

Adrian / December 20, 2022

Today is Winter Solstice. December was Mom's time. I don't anticipate posting anything else here after today, but you never know.

Mom’s Thanksgiving without Mom

Adrian / November 25, 2022

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We all gathered at Pop’s house with the goal of doing “Mom’s Thanksgiving”.

We Did It.

Adrian / November 5, 2022

Everything about Mom’s funeral yesterday was perfect.

Words of Rememberance (Eulogy) for Maria Hoppel

Adrian / November 4, 2022

These are the words I will attempt to read today at Mom's Funeral Mass.

Memorial Arrangements for Maria Hoppel

Adrian / October 29, 2022

Maria has chosen to be cremated and then have a viewing and Catholic funeral Mass; her remains will be interred later.

Goodbye to the Best of All of Us

Adrian / October 28, 2022

Mom left us at 9:44 this morning, at home, surrounded by all of us.

A Liminal Time

Adrian / October 15, 2022

Hospice has been going really well and Mom seems to be really benefitting from the many services and programs.

A Hard Week

Adrian / September 15, 2022

So, the past week has been hard. After meeting with Mom's oncologist on 9/7, we have been spending a lot of energy getting Mom's affairs in order.

Mom is Going on Hospice

Adrian / September 7, 2022

We met with Mom's oncologist this morning. Mom is going to pursue going on hospice. She will be meeting with the hospice people in the next couple of days.

Not Very Good at All

Adrian / August 24, 2022

“The scans… they are not very good at all.” That’s what our oncologist told us this morning, in his nevertheless cheerful-sounding Irish accent.

Round Two Complete

Adrian / August 10, 2022

Today was the completion of round 2, the last and 6th session for now; no more chemo for at least two weeks.

A Day on the Beach

Adrian / July 22, 2022

Mom was in high spirits today and got dressed in her best beach clothes and spent the day with us on the beach.

An ER Vigil in Atlantic City

Adrian / June 17, 2022

Mom’s temp spiked this evening to 102 and we took her to hospital in Atlantic City. What follows is a sort of raw account of the night.

Life is Full of Gems

Adrian / June 15, 2022

We met with Dr. O'Dwyer today to review Mom's CT scan; he's changing everything. We retreated to the beach to bask in the sun and salt air, and the generosity of a friend.

CT Scan Results Could be Better, but Could be Worse

Adrian / June 14, 2022

The raw results from Mom's CT scan yesterday are posted, and we have a lot of opinions. Tomorrow, we meet with Dr. O'Dwyer to get his expert opinion.

Faith and Reason

Adrian / June 12, 2022

The past week or so has been a roller coaster of emotions, of days starting out terribly and ending wonderfully. It is going to require a great deal of faith to reason through this.

Round Four Out the Door

Adrian / June 6, 2022

On Friday, June 3, Mom got her fourth round of chemo. The infusion went well, the weekend was a little rough, but we are pushing forward.

A Few Days to Reflect with Gratitude

Adrian / May 31, 2022

This past weekend Mom was feeling great, all of her sisters were in town, her Goddaughter was getting married, and the backyard still had a little magic on warm summer evenings.

Team Purple Firefox Summer T-Shirts Now Available

Adrian / May 20, 2022

We've created a new design just for summer, and it includes t-shirts, tank tops, and even a new coffee mug. e've got a retro "1986 Wildwood boardwalk t-shirt shop" vibe on the front, and our purple firefox, but with sunglasses, on the back.

Round Three Tea

Adrian / May 19, 2022

Mom's third round of chemotherapy comes to an end today. Here are some thoughts about the experience, with one eye looking at how things compared to rounds one and two and one eye looking at what's next.

It’s Been A Roller Coaster

Adrian / May 16, 2022

A longer post, since it has been a while, with some stories, some changes, and some updates. Thanks for reading!

Chemo 2: Part 2… and Part 3

Adrian / May 4, 2022

We were sent home without chemo last week because Mom’s white blood cells (WBC) were too low, and yesterday there was a scheduling error. Today, though, Mom is back in that chair.

A New Way to Help

Adrian / April 28, 2022

Are you looking for a way to help, and are inclined to cook? All aboard! Angie Rae organized a Meal Train where you can sign up for a day to bring over some of your good food.

This Is Your Gravy

Adrian / April 26, 2022

Mom always held us to a high standard at school; she expected that we would excel, but demanded that we not leave any easy points on the table. Now the tables have turned.

Chemo 2: BLOCKED

Adrian / April 25, 2022

Mom was supposed to get her second round of chemo today, but it was not meant to be. We could have known; all the signs were there.

We had a Wonderful Easter

Adrian / April 18, 2022

What a difference a day makes. A day, some IV drugs, and some sleep. Easter Sunday was wonderful.

Well, Today Sucked

Adrian / April 16, 2022

We had to take Mom to the ER today with extreme abdominal pain. It was a long night, a very dramatic morning, and a long day.

Round One About Done

Adrian / April 14, 2022

This past Monday, Mom started her chemo regimen. Here's how the first few days have gone.

Chemo Kick-Off

Adrian / April 11, 2022

Mom started chemo today. Up until now, the cancer has been on the attack. Today, Mom goes on offense and takes the fight to the cancer.

Port Replacement Successful

Adrian / April 8, 2022

The sun came out, Mom's port is now perfect, and on the first day of baseball season, hope springs eternal.

Olympic Training

Adrian / April 7, 2022

The best doctors in the world agree: this is the moment for Mom to begin training for the fight of her life.

Some names of the people who made this building happen.

The New Normal

Adrian / April 6, 2022

This is going to be the place. This is where the big fight is going to go down. Abramson Cancer Center is the arena. Mom vs. Cancer.

Home Office

Adrian / March 29, 2022

Not all medicine comes in a bottle.

Amazing Grace Indeed

Adrian / March 27, 2022

I know there is a plan, I know I may not like it, but I know I am not alone, and no matter what, it will be OK.

Home, But Different

Adrian / March 26, 2022

Mom is coming home today, A long road ahead. A lot of risks. But the odds are with us.

My Mom is Very Sick

Adrian / March 25, 2022

My mom is very sick. Yesterday she was rushed to the hospital. Today we found out why.

About Us

On March 25th, 2022, we found out that Maria Hoppel has pancreatic cancer.

Maria has a big family here in Philadelphia, with a lot of close friends and neighbors and former co-workers that all wanted to do “something”, to support Maria in some way. Any way.

One of the ideas was to have an online hub, or website, where we could keep her appointment calendar, and from that discussion this website was born.

Maria has three kids: Angella, Adrian, and Alia. Both Angella and Alia are nurses, just like their mom. Angella and Alia are running point on all of the medical stuff. Adrian (that’s me) makes websites for a living. So, I made this one.

We always are this happy together. Promise.

Maria’s has 5 sisters (!), and one of them is a nurse. And her best friend since the 6th grade (and my Godmother and second-Mom) is a nurse. Of course, Maria was a nurse, and many of her friends were, or are, nurses.

So there are a lot of people that want the details. Hopefully, this website helps.

What the heck is Team Purple Firefox?

We came up with the name Team Purple Firefox. We choose it because purple is the color for supporting the fight against pancreatic cancer, and the type of chemo that Maria will receive is called Folfirinox, which we shortened to “firefox” immediately because it’s funnier to us that way.

I checked and found that the domain purplefirefox.com was available, so I bought it and starting setting up this website.

Then I made a logo for us to use on our family group chat:

We liked the logo, so we decided to make t-shirts with it. And then we figured we could sell them to anyone else who wanted one, and maybe add a few dollars to Mom’s bank account to help cover expenses. Parking at Penn is not for the feint of heart or light of wallet.

What’s with the Butterfly?

There is a belief in our family, especially among Maria and her 5 sisters, that whenever they see a butterfly, it is their father, the great patriarch of our family, my Pop Pop, Vince, stopping by to visit. I can’t say this is true and I won’t say it’s not. If anyone could talk God into allowing him some special dispensation to visit us from heaven, it would be Pop Pop.

Angella asked for a butterfly to be added to our things, to represent big Pop and to remind us that we are not alone. I made this one, and we’re including it on all the things:

This is a new and terrible experience for all of us. We don’t know what the future holds, but we have to have faith and hope for the best outcomes.

Thanks for stopping by to learn about our fight.

Maria & Paul

Angella, Adrian & Angie, Alia & Jason

Holly, Kayla, Sarah, Anna, Sean, Lila, Mia, Leif, Ben, Julien, & Stella