Family Perspective: James Kleifges

When James Kleifges heard the news of his father’s diagnosis of prostate cancer, he took the news to be extremely unfair. His dad had faced bladder cancer once before - leading James and his family to think they’d seen the last of cancer.  At the same time, James was comforted knowing his father had the strength to persevere this second time around. 

“Knowing my dad had fought cancer before and was victorious showed the family first hand how courageous he is,” said James.

Not wanting to idly standby, James felt the need to get involved with his dad’s battle in any way possible. So last summer he paid homage his father in a poignant way by running in a triathlon in Maryland for the Prostate Cancer Foundation's sports initiative, Athletes for a Cure (AFAC).

“Anything I did on race day, as far as suffering on the race course, paled in comparison to what a person fighting cancer deals with on a daily basis,” said James. “I wanted to run the race in tribute of my dad’s fight.”

After discussing the idea with his father, Larry, James decided to use AFAC’s platform as a means to raise awareness and money for prostate cancer research.  Together, father and son then went to friends, family and colleagues to support their cause with donations.  To James' surprise, many of the people he contacted had themselves experienced first-hand the affects of prostate cancer.

“The ‘one in six’ statistic for men being diagnosed with prostate cancer resonated with people,” recalls James. “As I got into the actual fundraising, people opened up and shared their personal stories of how prostate cancer affected someone they knew.”

Taking place just days before Father's Day, James’ race date took on an added special significance.

“Having him at the triathlon, just before Father’s Day definitely made it a special day,” said James. “My dad was the best man at my wedding, and is the godfather to my firstborn. He’s always been a tremendous role model to me.”

The weekend’s festivities undoubtedly left Father’s Day memories both will remember for years to come.