MOLINE, Ill. — Peggy Ohl lost the love of her life to pancreatic cancer in 2016. Her husband Brent passed away at 48 after a four-and-a-half month battle. Their two boys were nine and 12 years old at the time. Following her husband's death, she founded the Ohl Strong Fund, which donates $500 VISA gift cards and provides a support system to people in the QCA with pancreatic cancer.
Ohl honored her husband's life as part of the QC Storm's 'Hockey Fights Cancer Night.' She's being highlighted as part of WQAD's Jefferson Awards series that recognizes people from our community going above and beyond to do good.
"He was kind, he was funny, he was intelligent," Ohl said.
She wants pancreatic cancer fighters to feel the support that her husband felt during his battle. 'When he was sick, we had his colleagues, friends, family, our community all came and supported us," Ohl said.
"We knew Dr. Ohl as the hot dog guy at the University of Iowa football games," Ohl's friend Joleen Newman said. "At halftime, he would go buy 20 to 30 hotdogs and he would come up to his seat and just throw them to the crowd."
Wayne Brimeyer received one of those VISA gift cards. "It all started in February of 2021 when I had some abdominal pain," Brimeyer said. "By the end of June, it was stage four."
In October, Wayne felt healthy enough to attend the fund's yearly event for the first time. His role as a VIP became a life-changing experience.
'It ended up where I spent probably a good half an hour or more with each one of them and their families talking just about everything," Brimeyer said. "It's probably one of the most rewarding experiences in my life."
Brimeyer says he no longer feels alone in his fight. He receives chemo every two weeks, but the endless battle is one he's fighting not only for himself.
"I thought about giving up, but I couldn't," he said. "My wife my kids, they all need me."
Early stages of pancreatic cancer often do not cause and signs or symptoms. However, some of the early signs include jaundice (the yellowing of eyes and skin), belly or back pain, weight loss, poor appetite, nausea and vomiting.