TEAM GOPHER IS BACK for year 6!

It’s hard to believe that it has been 6 years since James Franken (aka Gopher/Big Jim/Jim) lost his battle to pancreatic cancer. Let’s continue to raise money and awareness so less families have to go through what we did.

Here’s what we know:

• The American Cancer Society’s estimates for pancreatic cancer in the United States for 2023 are:

• About 64,050 people (33,130 men and 30,920 women) will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer

• 10th most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S.

• The current reported 5-year survival rate is 11%
• Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers. It is currently the 3rd leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S.
• Pancreatic cancer symptoms are not always obvious and usually develop over time.
• Pancreatic tumors are surrounded by a dense tissue layer, called the stroma. This makes it difficult for treatment to reach the tumor. Researchers are studying ways to get treatment through the stroma to make it more effective.
• As early detection study continues and as technology gets better, researchers predict that we will make progress toward finding the disease earlier.

This shows that what we are doing matters! All of our advocacy and fundraising has made a difference to those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

We have made progress, that is for sure, but we can do better. Research proves that EARLY DETECTION IS KEY! Let’s DEMAND BETTER and fight for those that are diagnosed today and those in the future. 

One way to get involved is to JOIN TEAM GOPHER. Thank you to those that continue to participate and donate! Let’s continue to honor the man that we all love and miss dearly and help raise awareness for this terrible disease. PLEASE consider joining us or contributing to this amazing event!

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.

Purple ribbons aren’t enough. Please join us on April 27th 2024 for a 5k walk to honor, James Franken and all other families that have been impacted by this terrible disease. 

WAGE HOPE. DEMAND BETTER. 

(Statistics found on PANCAN’s website)