Gia Fazio, with a Ph.D. in biochemistry, nearly two decades of experience in agricultural biotechnology and intensive training from the Culinary Institute of America is uniquely positioned to blend her knowledge, skills and compassion needed to fuse science and culinary expertise into something even bigger: support for those facing pancreatic and other cancers.

“Food brings joy, and it’s about more than just nutrition… It also has a huge impact on how you feel. That’s what motivates me—helping people find their way back to feeling good.”

Gia offers practical, science-backed nutritional guidance through food that’s nourishing, joyful and deeply healing.

Christine is honored to be a member of The Seena Magowitz Foundation’s accounting team and grateful for the opportunity to use her professional accounting skills for the cause. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Nebraska Omaha and has many years of professional accounting experience. As a pancreatic cancer survivor, Christine is passionate about interacting with the greater pancreatic cancer community, hoping her own experience will inspire hope in others facing similar hardships.

She attributes her healing from cancer not only to traditional treatments, but also to diet and wellness practices and is working on a cookbook, detailing her journey and sharing the recipes and food wisdom she’s developed to help others fight cancer. She lives by a motto she adopted from Oprah Winfrey: “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate!”

Nutrition often takes a backseat when it comes to cancer care, with treatments, surgeries and medications often dominating schedules, priorities and conversations with doctors. Yet, for those with pancreatic cancer, how they fuel themselves can influence not only how they feel, but how they heal. That’s why Michele Stack, a clinical registered dietitian at Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Froedtert Cancer Center, decided to team up with Gia Fazio and the Seena Magowitz Foundation on the foundation’s new “Care Kitchen” culinary series, which seeks to help make nutrition an increasingly important aspect of cancer treatment, care and recovery.

Care Kitchen will help people with pancreatic cancer build strength and immunity and better manage treatment side effects. Michele will serve as a nutritional sounding board and medical resource for the effort, ensuring that the recipes and cooking presentations given address the unique needs of people with pancreatic cancer.

Michele recognizes that many people with the condition face similar hardships when it comes to keeping up strength, weight and muscle mass. Pancreatic cancer treatments can also cause side effects like nausea, diarrhea, appetite loss and diabetes, making it hard for patients to eat at a time they likely need sustenance the most.

To counter this, Michele helps people with pancreatic cancer who follow the standard of care in place at Froedtert – which typically involves undergoing chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, accomplish key nutrition goals. First, she helps them focus on food and drink choices that strengthen their bodies. Second, she helps them use nutrition as a tool to manage and control symptoms so it’s easier to tolerate treatment.

It’s a perspective developed through years of education and experience and one she’ll share through her work with Care Kitchen. Michele first adopted this mindset while earning a Master’s degree in Dietetics, or the study of how food and nutrition affect health, at Milwaukee’s Mount Mary University. She then signed on as an inpatient dietitian at Froedtert Hospital, also in Milwaukee, where she worked with people facing all forms of cancer before transitioning to an outpatient role working primarily with pancreatic cancer patients.

While Michele’s work now focuses on pancreatic cancer, she notes that this demographic also has differing nutritional needs based on where they are in the treatment or recovery processes. For example, someone with loss of appetite and unintended weight loss may prioritize building up strength, whereas other patients may need to focus more on ways to manage nausea and indigestion. Those who’ve already had surgery may still be working through lingering side effects or may be implementing nutrition strategies to promote the prevention of cancer recurrence.

“We focus on optimizing nutrition and building strength, which involves getting enough calories and protein to maintain weight and muscle mass,” Michele said, of how she helps patients prepare for cancer-related surgeries. “This can lead to better outcomes after surgery and an easier time getting through treatment.”

Michele also encourages those experiencing side effects common during cancer treatments, like nausea, taste changes, and diarrhea, to work with a dietitian and team that can help them figure out what to eat to alleviate these issues.