WAUWATOSA, WI — Dan Winkelman is preparing for a 3,800-mile journey from Milwaukee to Anchorage, Alaska, to raise awareness about pancreatic cancer and fund critical research.
The trip comes six years after his stage three pancreatic cancer diagnosis, which has a five-year survival rate of just 13 percent.
It's a full circle moment as riding a motorcycle helped save Dan's life.
"I hit a pothole there with the front end of my motorcycle," Winkelman said. "It kinda tweaked my back a bit as I remember, I was feeling off for a month or two."
That motorcycle accident led to medical tests that revealed something much more serious.
"They did the CT scan, and that's when they found the tumor," he said.
Watch: Cancer survivor rides 3,800 miles to raise awareness and funds for research
Doctors in Asia, where Winkelman was serving as a missionary, delivered the devastating news of stage three pancreatic cancer. As a man of faith, he struggled to understand why this was happening.
"I get diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, you can well imagine, well, God, if I'm doing all this stuff for you, why would you allow this to happen?" Winkelman said.
TMJ4 is working to understand how cancer survivors find purpose through their experiences. After receiving treatment at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Winkelman is now thriving and has found meaning in his journey.
His upcoming motorcycle ride will be documented virtually with daily updates to spread awareness about pancreatic cancer. The trip also serves as a fundraiser through the Seena Magowitz Foundation, with proceeds being donated back to the Medical College of Wisconsin to fund research.
The link to the fundraiser can be found here.
Dr. Dave Seo, a pancreas surgeon at The Medical College of Wisconsin, expressed appreciation for Winkelman's efforts.
"To see somebody who has gone through all that...then turn around and say I want to raise awareness and raise visibility into this disease and how we can better treat it and do research on it," Seo said. "That's truly for many reasons why all of us do what we do."
For Winkelman, the journey represents his answer to the question that haunted him during his diagnosis.
"When we beat the odds, we use that experience to help other people beat the odds… It's not just about me," he said.
This story was reported by Brendyn Jones and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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