In October 2023, my mom was rushed to the hospital with extreme jaundice. Over the next few months, we took a journey of getting a diagnosis, and on Valentine’s Day, we learned that she had stage one pancreatic cancer. The phrase “our lives turned upside down” became very real, as she and my dad moved in to my one-bedroom apartment for the duration of her treatment at UNC. She underwent chemo to shrink the tumor and became eligible in July for a Whipple procedure, a 10 hour harrowing surgery in which the tumor and a large portion of her digestive system were removed. Today, thanks to her incredible medical team and a lot of perseverance, she is on the road to recovery. We are thankful for every day that we are given with her.
Pancreatic cancer treatment options are changing rapidly - as her surgeon told us, you just need to outrun it until a new treatment comes along. It is severely underfunded due to its bleak survival rates, but my mom is living proof that treatments can and do work. Every patient who is diagnosed with this terrible disease deserves that hope.
With your support, I’m taking bold action to improve the lives of everyone impacted by pancreatic cancer.
Every dollar you give funds life-changing programs and services for patients and their families. Because of you, patients and families receive essential services, resources, information, and support when they are urgently seeking help and hope.
Please make a gift of any size to get me one step closer to my fundraising goal and help PanCAN create a world in which all patients with pancreatic cancer will thrive.
I am grateful for your generous support.
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