Turning Personal Loss into Hope: A Peach Tree Health Employee’s Commitment to Fighting Pancreatic Cancer

November is National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness, honor those affected by this devastating disease, and support efforts to advance research and improve outcomes.

At Peach Tree Health, we are fortunate to work alongside remarkable individuals whose compassion and commitment to others extend far beyond the care we provide every day. One of those individuals is Allogan Hess, a valued member of the Peach Tree Health team who has turned the heartbreaking loss of his wife to pancreatic cancer into a personal mission to help others.

Through his participation in the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) PurpleStride event April24, 2027 in Sacramento, Allogan is raising funds and awareness to help make “surviving pancreatic cancer the expectation, not the exception.”

Allogan has written a deeply personal and moving story about his wife’s battle with pancreatic cancer, their journey together, and the lasting impact of her loss. His willingness to share this experience is a powerful reminder of the importance of compassion, perseverance, and coming together to make a difference.

We encourage our Peach Tree Health family, community partners, and friends to read Allogan’s story and consider supporting his fundraising efforts. Whether through a donation, sharing his story, or simply helping raise awareness during November, each of us has an opportunity to contribute to a cause that means so much to Allogan and countless families affected by pancreatic cancer.

To learn more or support Allogan’s PurpleStride fundraising efforts, visit his personal PanCAN fundraising page. We thank Allogan for his courage in sharing his family’s story and for his extraordinary commitment to turning personal loss into hope for others.

Below is Allogan’s story, shared in his own words.

In Loving Memory of Candace

By Allogan Hess, LMFT at Peach Tree Health

In January 2026, I lost my wife, Candace, to pancreatic cancer. Losing the person you love and imagined spending the rest of your life with is a pain that words can never fully capture. I share our story to honor her memory, raise awareness about this devastating disease, and highlight the emotional toll cancer takes on patients and the families who walk alongside them.

Candace’s journey began in the summer of 2024, when she experienced sudden abdominal pain that came and went. After multiple medical evaluations, we were told she had pancreatitis and a pancreatic cyst that appeared benign. We believed we had answers. We believed we had time. Then, following an endoscopic procedure to evaluate the cyst, a sample revealed malignancy. Our lives changed forever.

Through the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, we connected with an excellent medical team at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. Candace underwent chemotherapy and major surgery in January 2025, including a distal pancreatectomy and total splenectomy, along with numerous additional procedures. The physical and emotional toll on her and our family was immense. Tragically, her cancer returned just two months after surgery. After an incredibly difficult fight, she chose to stop treatment and focus on quality of life. She passed away at home in January 2026.

One of the most heartbreaking realities of pancreatic cancer is that it often develops with few noticeable symptoms in its early stages. By the time symptoms become apparent, the disease may already be advanced or have spread to other parts of the body. Candace’s experience showed me how difficult this cancer can be to detect, even when someone seeks medical attention. I hope our story encourages people to take concerning symptoms seriously, ask questions, advocate for their health, and support continued research into earlier detection and better treatments.

As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) at Peach Tree Health in Sacramento, I have spent my career helping individuals and families navigate grief, trauma, and difficult life experiences. Yet going through this journey with my wife taught me that understanding grief professionally is very different from experiencing it personally.

I came to understand anticipatory grief—the fear, uncertainty, and heartbreak of facing the possibility of losing someone you love while they are still beside you. It is trying to remain hopeful and cherish each moment while carrying the fear of what tomorrow might bring. Watching Candace endure treatment, major surgeries, and the return of her cancer was devastating. I wanted to take away her pain and make everything better, but there were things I could not fix, no matter how much I loved her.

Losing Candace has also reminded me that grief does not follow a timeline, and being a mental health professional does not make me immune to heartbreak. Sometimes, the people who spend their lives supporting others need support themselves. This experience has deepened my appreciation for therapy, honest conversations, and the importance of allowing others to walk alongside us during life’s most difficult moments.

I am profoundly grateful to Peach Tree Health for the compassion, flexibility, and understanding shown to me and my family throughout Candace’s illness and after her passing. Their support made a meaningful difference during one of the most painful chapters of our lives. Having an employer that recognizes the human side of illness, caregiving, and bereavement reinforced for me how important it is to create space for people to grieve and seek help without feeling they must carry everything alone.

Cancer affects far more than the person receiving the diagnosis. Its impact reaches spouses, caregivers, and entire families, and the emotional consequences can continue long after treatment ends. We must recognize the importance of supporting not only patients but also the people who love them.

I share Candace’s story because I want her life to continue to make a difference. I hope to raise awareness about pancreatic cancer, encourage continued research, and remind families facing serious illness that their emotional well-being matters. If you are struggling with grief or supporting someone through a difficult diagnosis, please know that seeking counseling, talking with others, and accepting support are signs of strength, not weakness.

I would give anything for more time with Candace. More conversations. More ordinary days. More opportunities to tell her I love her. Although I cannot change what happened, I can honor her memory by sharing our story and helping others understand the importance of awareness, compassion, and emotional support.

In loving memory of Candace, and in honor of every individual and family affected by pancreatic cancer.

Because cancer affects the body, but its impact reaches the heart, the home, and every person who loves the one fighting it.