5 for Good: Local families advocate for support in fighting pancreatic cancer
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network urging action during its advocacy week
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network urging action during its advocacy week
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network urging action during its advocacy week
"She's been so positive and so inspiring and so strong,” said Ivy Watts, talking about her mother who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September. Watts said it was caught in stage two.
"The urgency of it all is really important,” she said. “To recognize it early, because that can really make a difference in the survival rate."
Improved in recent years, the survival rate for pancreatic cancer patients is still very low. According to the American Cancer Society, 90% of all patients die within five years.
The Marinelli family lost husband and father Jim a year ago this month. He was diagnosed, as many are, when the cancer was stage 4.
Daughter Gina Marinelli, who is a registered nurse said even health care professionals can miss first symptoms.
"People don't really know about it until they find out they have it," Marinelli said.
Her mother, Marianne Marinelli is also a registered nurse.
“I was not aware of all of the early signs that my husband was presenting with," Marianne Marinelli said.
Watts and the Marinelli's are sharing their stories now because it's advocacy week for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network or PanCAN. The national nonprofit organization supports patients and families and raises money for pancreatic cancer research.
Typically, volunteers meet with lawmakers in Washington D.C. this week to lobby for support. PanCAN volunteer Caitlin Ghegan has made the trip. She said this year advocacy is underway, it just looks a little different.
"We are calling Congress,” Ghegan said. “We are writing emails, and we are signing mass petitions."
Ghegan lost her father to pancreatic cancer.
"It's an extremely rapidly moving disease, so the best that we can do to keep people involved is to tell our personal stories,” Ghegan said. “We've been encouraging people to post on social media."
As local and federal lawmakers focus on enormous challenges including the coronavirus and police reform, Watts said she hopes the voices of cancer advocates are heard too.
"Pancreatic cancer doesn't stop for COVID or racial tensions or anything else that's going on in the world,” said Watts. “People are still getting diagnosed, people are still getting treatment and people are still living with it and don't even recognize that they have it."
Find more information about the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network here.