I am walking with Ann's Dream Team to raise money in support of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) by participating in the Philadelphia PurpleStride walk on April 27, 2024.

As many of you know, pancreatic cancer has affected 3 generations of our family -- my grandmom Ida, who died of pancreatic cancer at age 88; my mom Ann who died 10 months after she was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer at age 74, and me.
I am a 15-year pancreatic cancer survivor!

I was diagnosed with pre-pancreatic cancer at age 52 in 2009. Through a clinical study at Penn Medicine, tests revealed the disease at the earliest stage. I had a large part of my pancreas removed through surgery at Penn, and I have been cancer free for 14 years.

Pancreatic cancer hit close to home again in October 2022. My first cousin Robert learned he had a tumor at the head of his pancreas. We lost our grandmother to this disease, and Robert's father also lost his fight with pancreatic cancer in 2012. Robert's Whipple procedure was successful and involved removing the head of his pancreas. His treatment included chemo for several months, but his cancer was caught at stage 1 and so far, there are no signs of recurrence. I was devastated to learn he also had pancreatic cancer, but thankful that they caught it early enough to make a difference.

I am walking in with PurpleStride to honor the memory of my mother and my grandmother and to celebrate Robert's and my survival.
And I'm walking to help raise funds for early detection, continuing research and greater awareness about this devasting disease.

By making a donation to our team, you are supporting efforts to increase survival for this deadly disease.                       

Pancreatic cancer now has a 5-year 13% survival rate and is the 3rd leading cause of cancer related death in the U.S.

I am the captain of Ann's Dream Team, and I thank you for considering support of my PURPLE STRIDE team to help us reach our fundraising goal.

It means everything to me!!!