Hundreds of supporters and survivors of pancreatic cancer participated in the PurpleStride 5K on NC State’s Centennial Campus Saturday morning.
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network hosted the event, and PurpleStride Raleigh-Durham raised $208,298 in funds to help provide personalized support for patients and support research grants and advocacy efforts to increase federal pancreatic cancer research funding.
“I am here to continue waging hope for her,” said Lisa Allen of Greensboro as she pointed to a picture of her mother. “I lost my momma to pancreatic cancer seven years ago, and I knew that coming here and running in honor of her would be a good way to celebrate a late Mother’s Day.”
Participants of the timed run and awareness walk wore purple as well as sashes with the cam-paign’s slogan, “Wage Hope, Fight It, End It,” in honor of those who have experienced pancreat-ic cancer.
“We are here to wage hope, fight it and end it,” said Stefan Chase, honored speaker and WNCN anchor. “This is what all of this is about.”
Allen, who wore purple from head-to-toe, said that while it’s wonderful to see such a flood of supporters, friends and family members of those who are currently fighting the disease, she wished more survivors could be in attendance.
With a five-year relative survival rate of just 7 percent, pancreatic cancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Currently, the only treatments for pancreatic cancer involves invasive surgery and intensive chemotherapy, according to PCAN.
“I was diagnosed less than a year ago on June 5, and it was then that I was told my cancer was inoperable” said Joel Smith of Chapel Hill. “I have been through a lot of treatment, and we have seen a lot of positive changes. I just wish the road to recovery was easier and the final outlook was more in my favor.”
It is estimated that 48,960 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year. Approximately 40,560 will die from the disease, according to PCAN.
Allen said that PCAN recently published a study that predicts by 2020, pancreatic cancer will surpass breast and colorectal cancer to become the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.
“This is why events like this are so important,” Allen said. “We need to continue raising awareness and funds, especially since pancreatic cancer research is so poorly funded”.
Sunday’s 5K was not the only PurpleStride event. Each year, in communities across the country, thousands of people participate in more than 56 PurpleStride events. These events contribute millions of dollars toward the mission of advancing research, supporting patients and creating hope.
“I can’t wait to come back next year,” Smith said. “Hopefully then, we can all speak about new research and newer, better treatment methods. Events like this that raise awareness and dona-tions are what are going to get us there.”
Hundreds of participants get a running start in Saturday morning's PurpleStride 5K on NC State's Centinennial Campus. Participants of the timed run and walk came together to Wage Hope and raise awareness about pancreatic cancer. The event, which was brought together by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, raised $202,512 in funds to be donated to research and to help provide personalized support for patients. Participants of Sunday's PurpleStride 5K hold up sashes with the campaigns slogan, "Wage Hope, Fight It, End It". Pancreatic cancer is currently the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, and one of the most poorly researched and funded. "This is why events like this are so important", said Lisa Allen of Greensboro. Photo by: Rachel Smith
