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Jefferson Surgical Solutions

In 2015, Kathleen K. Schoemaker (left) was an active and seemingly healthy 63-year-old. Still working as a finance executive, she had recently relocated from New Jersey to be closer to her daughter, Annemarie Tester, son-in-law, Michael, and their two young children in Fort Washington, Pa.

“She was two years into a five-year plan for retirement,” recalls Michael, founder and CEO of Tester Construction Group in Bala Cynwyd, Pa.

After feeling unwell during a retreat, Kathleen pursued medical testing that revealed a shocking diagnosis: Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. At the time, Michael’s father, William J. Tester, MD, was practicing oncology at Einstein Medical Center and helped oversee her treatment. Despite these efforts, Kathleen succumbed to pancreatic cancer in February 2016.

It was a loss that shook Annemarie, Michael, and their extended families to the core. Early on, the Testers knew they wanted to find a meaningful, tangible way to honor and remember Kathleen.

“My mom was our best friend,” Annemarie says. “She was such an incredible person, and when something like this touches your life, you can’t just let it go.”

By the time they felt ready to move forward, Michael’s father was practicing at Jefferson and introduced them to Charles J. Yeo, MD, the Samuel D. Gross Professor and Chair of Surgery, and Kelly Austin in the Office of Institutional Advancement. After learning more about the pancreatic cancer research and multidisciplinary team at Jefferson, they decided to establish Tester Construction Gives (TCGives) as a family foundation focused on raising funds to support pancreatic cancer research at Jefferson.

In 2022, TCGives held their first beneficiary event at Brooklyn Bowl, where they raised $150,000 (triple their goal) to support the Jefferson Molecular Profiling of Pancreatic Cancer Program and patient support services. In October 2023, TCGives hosted a second benefit–this time, a concert at The Foundry featuring country stars Cas Haley and Brian Kelley, an event that generated over $100,000. To date, TCGives has raised $281,884 in support of pancreatic cancer research and patient assistance.

As they plan their third event on June 6, 2025, Annemarie remains focused on the very human impacts of pancreatic cancer. She vividly remembers feeling helpless and hopeless following her mom’s diagnosis–and wants others to have a different experience.

“With more funding and research into pancreatic cancer,” she says, “other families touched by this disease can have more of what we needed: hope.”

For information about upcoming TCGives events, visit Testerconstruction.com/tc-gives. To learn more or make a gift online, please visit: Jefferson.edu/GiveSurgery or contact Kelly.Austin@jefferson.edu.

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