This picture shows John on the happiest day of his life- on his first day at New York Law School. He was so excited to start this chapter of his life. Only a year and a half later, John was faced with the most difficult challenge imaginable. At just 27 years old, John was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In spite of this devastating news, John made a choice to fight this disease and continued with his life plan. While undergoing treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, he continued his education and graduated May 2015. Shortly after graduation, John was honored and eager to join the Stamford office of Holland & Knight, LLP.

John’s training and passion for the law helped him develop the perseverance necessary for this journey. He fought his disease with the same intensity that he used for his legal arguments.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. It usually occurs in people older than 55 but as in the case of John Franco, is sometimes found in younger people as well. The disease usually does not cause symptoms in its early stages, and when symptoms are felt, they are often mistaken for signs of other illnesses. Because of these factors, pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed only after it has spread to surrounding tissue or other parts of the body.

Pancreatic cancer is an especially arduous disease, rarely detected early and very challenging to treat. While great progress has been made with many other malignancies, pancreatic cancer has yielded little in the way of clinical advances, and most patients still die from the disease.

When the doctors at MSKCC asked John to participate in research, he was always willing to contribute in any way he could with the hope of helping to find a cure some day. Join us in supporting the cutting edge treatment and research that is happening at MSKCC by the highly skilled doctors and nurses John relied on throughout his battle by making a donation in the memory of John L. Franco.