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Family of Tampa man that died of pancreatic cancer send a message of hope to Alex Trebek

Living with pancreatic cancer
Posted at 10:18 PM, Mar 06, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-06 23:34:09-05

TAMPA, Fla. — The Lamont family knows how hard it can be to receive a terrifying diagnosis.

In 2009, Robb Lamont was diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer. Lamont said her husband did everything he could to outlive the grim statistics he was facing, beating the five-year survival rate with an additional four more years.

“He’s had surgeries with lungs removed, he tried everything to live for his boys,” Lamont said.

Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer

Since Robb’s diagnosis, the family has spent the past nine years raising funds to find a cure and each year, raising roughly $20,000 for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. At the 2019 Purple Stride Tampa Bay walk team Lamont came in first place raising $23,120.

The Lamont’s remember Robb with travel books showing photos of their trips to the Grand Canyon or Alaska. When Robb was sick, Lori said she would show her husband the pictures to motivate him to keep fighting.

When they heard Alex Trebek was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, they had this message:

“You are a statistic of one,” Lamont said. “We had a friend cancer-free five years later who was stage 4.”

Robb’s oldest son Ryan, now 12, was three years old when Robb received the diagnosis. He’s lived his entire life admiring his father’s strength and courage. Robb spoke at his father’s funeral and was the keynote speaker at this year’s walk.

“I just want to continue his legacy and make him proud,” Ryan said. “He never wanted to say that he lost his battle, he gave it everything that he could and did everything in his power to live one day at a time and keep going.