Pancreatic Cancer

In the span of two short weeks I lost my Auntie Linda and my father-in-law, Tom to pancreatic cancer. Words can't even begin to describe the hole left in my heart. The sadness over a song that reminds me of one of them. Texting my aunt, out of habit to have her check for a pair of shoes at her Target.  It's indescribable.

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. Did you know that 74% of people diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer will die within a year of diagnosis?  Pancreatic cancer is a leading cause of cancer death, largely because there are no detection tools to diagnose the disease in its early stages. Even though so many people die of pancreatic cancer each year, The National Cancer Institute (NCI) spent an estimated $96.7 million on pancreatic cancer research in  2010. This represents just 2% of the NCI’s approximate $5 billion annual cancer research budget for that year. Ridiculous.

My aunt is gone. Tony's dad is gone. They're not coming back, and unfortunately there is nothing I can do about it. But I can do my part to help other families not experience the same tremendous losses. I sell a bracelet, called "The Linda" and 100% of the proceeds go to Pancreatic Cancer research. You can also donate directly HERE.  My cousin, Tara is doing a run in her memory. You can donate directly HERE. (Once I reach my goal of $1000 dollars donated from sales of "The Linda" and various donations, I'll then be donating proceeds to my cousin's run.)

Pancreatic Cancer is a bitch of a disease. It's hard to detect, and merciless. If you can help in any small way at all, I encourage you to!

You can read more facts about Pancreatic Cancer HERE.