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Saturday, November 8, 2008
Pancreatic cancer fight worth joining
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Brittany Black’s grandfather had experienced chronic back pain for several years. Doctors treated it with cortisone shots, which only masked the pain.
One morning he came into the kitchen of his Lawrenceville home. “Look at my eyes,” he asked his family. “Do I look yellow?”
“His eyes were as yellow as they could be,” Black said. “His skin was yellowing.”
Clyde Monday was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer on Aug. 17, 2005. He underwent surgery Aug. 26 and died 10 days later.
Apparently that’s the way it is with cases of pancreatic cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancerous deaths in the country. Of the nearly 40,000 Americans diagnosed this year, practically all of them will die.
Early symptoms — among them pain in the back or abdomen, nausea and weight loss — are vague and common to other ills. Pancreatic cancer is hard to diagnose because the organ hides behind other organs and can’t be felt in routine exams. Moreover, there’s no test like the mammogram for breast cancer or the PSA for prostate cancer.
It doesn’t have to be this way, Black said. She’s the founder of the Atlanta chapter of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), one of more than 70 volunteer-run affiliates in the country. The national non-profit network, based in California, promotes the advancement of education, awareness and scientific research.
This is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. To that end, the local PanCAN chapter is to host its annual 5K run/walk Nov. 15 in Grant Park. The goal is to raise $100,000. So far, individuals and corporate donors have contributed $77,000. Atlanta will also be the site of a free all-day symposium on March 14 at the Four Seasons Hotel on 14th Street.
“Our affiliates are our eyes and ears on the ground, our voice,” said Mary-Jo Kennedy, PanCAN’s director of community outreach. “It’s not just about raising money. It’s about education, awareness and advocacy. Education is a really big part of our events.”
For Black, involvement is a way to honor the life of a man who was more of a father than a grandfather.
“I volunteer, really, to give hope to families,” said Black, a Midtown resident who works in commercial real estate. “This organization can walk you through the steps you need to take care of your loved one. I’ve seen the changes that have been made in Atlanta. People come up to me with tears in their eyes to say, ‘Thanks.’ If I save one person, it totally makes it worthwhile.”
For more information about the Pancreatic Cancer Network, visit www.pancan.org. To pre-register for the “Purple Stride Atlanta Walk,” go to http://pancan.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=284819.
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