In memory of Michael Sztar

On Dad’s 78th birthday, we sat around a restaurant table and marvelled at how he’d survived nearly seven years with pancreatic cancer. He was smiling and gleeful like an innocent child. His doctors called him ‘the phoenix’, against all odds, rising time and time again from the complications of his illness and treatment. But sadly, just eight days after our birthday celebration, his latest complication was too much for his body to take and he died suddenly — yet thankfully for him, peacefully. 

A modest, gentle, resilient and loving man, he never gave up — not even once — during his cancer battle. He fought it till the end, daring to hope, daring to believe, daring to dream. And so did we. 

The missing jigsaw piece he has left in our lives can’t be replaced but the space can be filled with continuing his hope, dreaming and believing for a better future.

It’s hard to hope though when the treatment options are so limited, when the heavy side-effect driven chemotherapy that my father was on is as old as I am, when the beneficial merging of natural medicine and modern medicine isn’t yet adequately recognised and when diagnosis — for most — still comes too late.

We are totally behind the intention of ‘Dare to Hope’ and putting pancreatic cancer on the radar so that with each year that passes, the tributes on this page will go down, not up. 

Michael Sztar, beloved husband, father and human being, forever nestled in our hearts and etched in our memories. May you always fly high in the cosmic sky and shine down on us with your eternal light ❤️🙏🏻

Together, we will inspire HOPE.

This page is dedicated to honouring someone dear to me who has been affected by pancreatic cancer.

To pay tribute to them, I am raising funds for this critically underfunded and overlooked disease. I proudly support Dare to Hope, a volunteer-led charity committed to changing outcomes for those impacted by pancreatic cancer by funding vital medical research. 

Medical research is the key to achieving breakthroughs in treatment and improving survival rates. Your support can help bring HOPE to those facing this devastating disease.

Please donate today to honor our special person and make a difference.    Dare to Hope is a registered charity with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. Donations over $2 are tax deductible in Australia. You will be emailed a tax receipt.

The more people who learn about their story and the work of Dare to Hope, the greater the impact. Please share this page with family, friends, and colleagues to spread HOPE to more Australians.