In 2017 Yvette Kaplan succumbed to the disease, but she spent 25 months WAGING HOPE in the fight of her life.  She was a great friend and Mother, and those around her were inspired by her grace and courage under pressure.

  Yvette was a breast cancer survivor, and was a very active fundraiser for the ACS.  At the age of 31 she lost her husband to pancreatic cancer.  She taught her son Saul the importance of fundraising and he started Team Yvette Kaplan to honor his Mother (and Father).  Every donation is a tribute to Yvette and her courage throughout life.  She wanted to make a difference, and Saul wants to help raise awareness of pancreatic cancer and contribute to the discovery of early detection methods.

  Yvette Kaplan was a vibrant, engaging, entertaining, fun person to be around.  Yvette was many things to many people  --multifaceted, and had many friends and interests that may not have come together other than for events such as her 50th Birthday party or the In Celebration of Her Life memorial service.

  She was an artist, selling handcrafted jewelry, and taking up painting as another way to express herself.  Even today, her jewelry can be found at an artist cooperative store, The Sign of the Dove, in Porter Square.  Proceeds from sales in October and November will be donated to her PurpleStride team.

  She always said that Freedom, such as when she escaped Budapest, leads to creativity.  Creativity leads to Art.  "I chose to become a jewelry artist to express myself".  Anyone who has seen her jewelry will see just how creative and expressive the pieces are.

  She loved to travel so much she made it her vocation.  This may have begun with a defining moment in her life, escaping from Communist controlled Hungary during the Revolution of 1956.  She came to America, went to an American University, married an American, and moved to Massachusetts.  She turned traveling from an an occasional trip abroad to a full-time way to earn a living, as a Tour Director.  Eventually she visited all seven Continents.  Escorting tour groups allowed her to share her love of places, knowledge of history and to plan for other people, taking care of them on the road.

  When faced with pancreatic cancer, she had an almost calm demeanor about her.  Yes, she was scared.  But she was also optimistic and she felt that positive energy and supplemental therapies such as massage, acupuncture and meditation would help her body assist the chemo in fighting back against the cancer.

  She was fortunate to have been enrolled in a trial study, which was at least partially responsible for her living 25 months with pancreatic cancer.  She was so brave and only rarely showed any sign of fear.  She seemed to be at peace with what was inevitable, and just wanted to be around friends and family.  That is the legacy that is Yvette Kaplan.

Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate of all major cancers, at just 9%. This deadly disease has stolen our best and our brightest, but it can’t take away our determination. 

Our team has stepped up to Wage Hope at PurpleStride, the walk to end pancreatic cancer. Will you help us rewrite the future of this disease by making a donation today?

Every dollar that you donate ensures that the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network can continue working to create better outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients and their families. By donating to our team, you are supporting vital efforts to double pancreatic cancer survival by 2020. 

Purple ribbons aren’t enough. Please join us in the fight today.