1840 Brewing Company co-owner diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Seven years ago, Kyle Vetter made a deal with his wife, Stephanie. If Vetter wanted to keep making beer, the couple would have to open a brewery.

“She was sick of beer going bad in our garage because I would do these test batches and then I would never package them,” said Kyle Vetter. “She’s like, 'the deal is if you open the brewery, no more batches are gonna go bad in the basement, right? Or the garage?' I’m like 'yeah.' She’s like, 'alright, we’ll do it.'”

That’s when 1840 Brewing Company was born in Bayview.

“We were here every minute we were open and really got to know the community that sort of gathered around the business,” said Vetter.

Now, the community that supported their beers is showing up for Vetter and Stephanie, again. Just a few weeks ago, Stephanie was battling Covid when she was rushed to the hospital for shortness of breath.

“They came in and said we found something on your pancreas,” said Vetter.

That something was stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

“You have to try to stay positive, because this is a tough thing to go through. Tons of information being thrown at us constantly,” said Vetter.

For Stephanie, the only answer right now is taking it day by day.

“We’re also gonna make some adjustments, look at these other drugs. It’s been a rollercoaster because there’s no clear path right now,” said Vetter.

It’s a path Vetter says they couldn’t be on without support from their community.

“We got a $5,000 donation from someone anonymously on GoFundMe. It’s like how do you not get super emotional about that. Like, who is this person?” said Vetter.

Seven years ago, a deal with his wife helped Vetter open their brewery. That deal – now helps them hold onto hope.

“If we can help through our journey make the next person not go through this, that would be great,” said Vetter.

A fundraiser for Stephanie will be held at 1840 Brewing on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. including a silent auction. If you would like to donate to Stephanie’s GoFundMe, you can donate here.