Inspired by daughter lost to cancer, East Bay father pursues PhD, dedicates himself to helping in the search for cures NBC Bay Area [Video]

For Danville father Allen Rush, this year’s commencement exercise at Santa Clara University was about celebrating the end of an academic journey, but hope for new beginnings. 

Earlier this month, Rush received his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the university. It culminated an academic journey he began fourteen years ago, the same time his daughter, Jaqueline started her freshman year at the University of San Diego.

“She was a great kid. She got into lots of things. She loved soccer. She loved playing the piano,” Rush said.  

Both of their education journeys, however, were altered when Jaqueline was diagnosed with colon cancer due to an inherited genetic mutation called Lynch Syndrome. 

In spite of the devastating diagnosis and grueling chemotherapy treatments, Jaqueline persisted with her studies and earned dual degrees in marketing and Spanish. 

“The kind of strength that that takes, I just can’t imagine. And she wore a smile the whole way,” Rush said.

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