Hope emerges during family’s difficult time

Suzy & Greg Super raising funds promising cancer treatment

 

IMLAY CITY — Greg and Suzy Super were excited about living out their dreams once the retirement years hit. The couple, married for 37 years, are lifelong residents of the area. Suzy graduated from Dryden Jr./Sr. High School in 1982; Greg is a 1978 alumnus of Imlay City High School.

With a passion for all things horses, many equestrians and enthusiasts around the area remember Suzy’s participation and guidance through 4-H and the Imlay City Equestrian Team.

After 40 years as a CNC machinist, Greg stepped down from his post in 2022. Three years later, Suzy retired from GM, where she worked as a diemaker.

After a brief escape to Florida in March of last year, the couple had made plans to escape Michigan’s harsh winters in the Sunshine State like other area snowbirds. They booked a place for the winter of 2025, running from December to May. As the saying goes, however, sometimes the best laid plans never come to fruition.

Today, their retirement goal has changed. Rather than wintering in Florida, they’re now working to save Greg’s life. They’re seeking help for a journey to Germany for specialized treatment for Greg’s late-stage pancreatic cancer.

The diagnosis came in August of 2025, and though they were shocked, they weren’t completely surprised. Greg hadn’t been feeling well for about a year prior.

“He’d been symptoamatic since the fall of 2024, beginning with abdominal discomfort and GI (gastro-intestinal) issues that would come and go,” Suzy says. “He’d been seeing doctors throughout that time, with no answers to his discomfort. The diagnosis of type 2 diabetes that fall should have been a bigger red flag for us.”

Aggressively pursuing the root of Greg’s problem resulted in what Suzy calls “the dreaded C word.” She says the news was made worse by the precise diagnosis—pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

“This cancer is typically a death sentence by the time it’s diagnosed,” Suzy adds. “For whatever reason, God has blesssed Greg with a year of being symptomatic and no metastasis. It’s unheard of.”

That’s when the entire family began rallying together to find ways to beat the disease. Suzy, along with daughters Brittany, 37, and Ariel, 34, found two specific holistic protocols to follow, along with traditional chemotherapy. Brittany became Greg’s home health care nurse, which made things a bit easier. However, the alternative treatments aren’t covered by insurance, and that put a strain on the couple’s finances.

“Before Brittany stepped in as the healthcare nurse, we were spending about $4,000 out of pocket for medical expenses and supplements,” Suzy says. “We’re down to about $1,500 now.”

While undergoing a very aggressive chemotherapy regimen, along with the holistic alternatives, the Supers discovered another therapy that’s been proven to develop an immune response to battle cancer cells.

Called Dendritic cell (DC) therapy, Suzy says “roughly two-thirds of patients develop an immune response… which correlates with improved overall survival,” and creates enhanced, lasting immune memory in the body.

While it’s approved for treatment of some cancers in the United States, pancreatic cancer is not on that list. Suzy says Germany has offered DC for the past 25 years.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover the expected $55,000 bill. Along with the financial strain, the toll on Greg’s body from the diagnosis has also been rough. Between the pain of the tumor growth, and related loss of appetite, Greg has lost 25 pounds and been hospitalized twice. All of this has altered the entire, close knit family.

“We look at life differently,” Suzy says. “Our dreams of what we thought retirement would be are much different now.”

Suzy works as a local realtor, and both Brittany and Ariel have dug into their wallets to help with a lot of the initial expenses.

Suzy is hoping they’ll be able to meet their goal of a new lease on life for Greg in Germany.

“It (DC) offers a hope we cannot find locally,” Suzy says. And they’re willing to continue to sacrifice everything for that hope.

“We spent our entire lives working to be able to enjoy our 30 rolling acres with horses in the backyard. We will be selling it all this year to find something that allows this change in life to be more affordable and easier to maintain.”

Suzy says they’ve already received overwhelming support from the community, which lifts their spirits.

“We are just without words on how many people are praying, donating, and offering help.” she says. “We are so grateful for that, and far more thankful for every day.”

To donate to the Super’s GoFundMe page click on https://gofund.me/dc42deea3, or send a check payable to Greg Super, 2203 N. Blacks Corners Road., Imlay City, MI 48444.