Wagner Warriors

My name is Lana Wallace and I am a Junior at Slippery Rock University with a major in Communications: Public Relations and a certificate in Intercultural and Global Communications.

I have been in the Alpha Sigma Tau Chapter for a year and a half, where I currently hold the Chair position on our Member Support and Accountability board. I also serve on the Panhellenic Executive Board as Vice President of Programming for the 2023-2024 term.

On the Morning of October 18th around 6 am I woke up with a missed call from my mom. Immediately, I knew something was wrong with my dad. Once I was able to get into communication with my mom, she started trying to comfort me and calm me down but nothing could prepare me for what I was about to hear. Through the sound of my moms shaky breath and tears falling, I could still hear her say “He has it.” My heart sank and it all went black. My mom couldn’t even say what “it” was due to the fear of the word. Cancer.

My father, Dana Wagner, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He went to the hospital after he had been suffering from jaundice caused by a blockage.With those tests the future came back looking differently than we’d expected. The medical team gave him a plan, three months of chemotherapy to see if the mass would shrink. The cancer had spread to his liver. The team provided the plan for another 3 months of chemotherapy.

In his last check up, they found that it was shrinking and not spreading anymore. I have high hopes that these last few rounds will crush it.

My dad is a truck driver, starting shifts at 12am or even 3am for 16 hours to support my family in the fear of what the future may hold. This evil sickness has caused so much stress on him but nothing can stop him.

My family and I are beyond grateful for the support my family and I have received along the way. Thank you for your support in my family and father’s journey.

Lana Lee Wallace