Dear Friends,

I am asking for your support again this year for PurpleStride, April 25, 2026 at De Anza Cove at Mission Bay Park.   I will be walking to raise critical funding to support research for early detection methods and better treatment options, clinical trials, education, and advocacy to improve the survival rate for pancreatic cancer. 

As many of you know, I am a rare pancreas cancer survivor.  This past December 2025 marked twelve-years of survival.  I remain under surveillance, but recent evaluations continue to show no evidence of disease.  I continue to work advocating for those who cannot do so for themselves, and I value your support.  But we still need your help.

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, after lung and colon cancer.  In 2025, an estimated 67,400 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and 51,980 will die from the disease.  Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of all the major cancers. There is no standard early detection test for pancreatic cancer, and few effective treatments are available. 

When I was diagnosed in December 2013, the five-year survival rate was a dismal 6%.  The five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer remains 13% for the second straight year.  While advances in medical research have a direct correlation with improved survival, there much more that must be done and that requires critical research funding. You can help by supporting me in PurpleStride.   

Thank you!

Russ