The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) hosted its largest annual fundraiser, the PanCAN PurpleStride walk, on April 29, raising national awareness and much-needed funds for pancreatic cancer research.
Undeterred by the torrential downpours, a few hundred participants gathered at Pier 17 for the 1.4-mile walk through parts of the Financial District, raising over $600,000 for leading-edge research on early detection strategies and new treatments.
Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States and has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers — the survival rate is just 12%. However, the number is up from years ago when pancreatic cancer was a definite death sentence, and PanCAN aims to increase the survival rate to 20% by 2030.
Pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect since the pancreas sits deep in the abdomen, and doctors usually cannot see or feel the tumor during a physical exam.
Currently, there is no standard test to diagnose pancreatic cancer, making detection even more difficult, and symptoms are not always obvious and usually develop over time. Symptoms can be different for each person and include abdominal or back pain, weight loss, jaundice, loss of appetite, nausea, changes in stool, and recent-onset diabetes.
NY1 news anchor Ruschell Boone, who just beat pancreatic cancer, served as the event’s emcee.
Boone shared with the crowd that she had stomach pain that wouldn’t go away and felt something was wrong with her body. She visited her physician several times, who suggested she change her diet and exercise.
At Boone’s urging, her husband Todd took her to the emergency room on June 14, 2022. She thought the ER doctor was going to tell her she had an ulcer, but he had even worse news for her.
“When that doctor came back and said, ‘Mrs. Boone, you can’t leave the hospital. I think you have pancreatic cancer,’ in that moment, I thought I was going to die,” Boone said. “For those…
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