We remember the day vividly. December 9, 2011, exactly 5 months after my family celebrated one of the greatest days of our lives - my sisters wedding, it was confirmed that our father, Louis Palios, was diagnosed with Stage III Pancreatic Cancer. A man who was perfectly healthy beforehand. The cancer was not just in his pancreas; this terrible disease had spread to his liver as well, which made the disease more malignant. From that point forward, he was on a strict schedule of chemotherapy treatments every other week (called “Flofurinox”)  and when that stopped working six months later, he switched to ABRAXINE and Gemsidomine treatment. He received treatment every week from then on. My dad lost his battle to cancer after 11 months on November 11, 2012.
He was a fisherman, banker, handyman and most importantly a loving father to his three children: Chris, Stacey and Alex and his son-in-law, Andrew.  He made countless sacrifices to ensure we all had the support we needed. For example, our dad did not read unless it was consumer reports.  However, before Stacey and Andrew's wedding, we found the “Survival Book for Father of the Bride” next to his bed side.  His favorite pastime was fishing with his best friend, Mike. Every Friday, even when Lou was going through treatment, he and Mike would go fishing on Mike’s boat. Up until the last month of his life, he was excited when he and Mike had a successful trip, catching over a dozen Porgies on what they didn't know would be one of their last boating trips. Lou also enjoyed helping Chris run his restaurant, Sophia’s Tuscan Grill in Warwick, RI. Lou always dreamed of having a restaurant of his own, so he was extremely passionate about making Sophia’s the best it could be. Alex, the youngest in the family, was the last to go to college. As you would expect, it was hardest seeing the last child move out of the house, and the empty nest complete. Alex and Lou became very close during that period. They enjoyed watching New York Giants and New York Yankees games, as well as talking for hours about the stock market. Lastly, Lou and his new son-in-law Andrew were inseparable when it came to house work. They would spend hours at our Old Lyme beach house fixing anything they could get their hands on.

We would never want another family to go through what our family did over this 11 month period. Although we were able to tell our father that we loved him up until the last day of his life, the progression of the illness was way too fast. This is why we feel so passionate about raising money and finding a cure for Pancreatic Cancer. Please help support this wonderful cause and donate to our team #Do it for Lou!

We miss you dad!