A Tribute to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

They come.  By the hundreds. By the thousands.

They come heart-broken, scared, angry, frustrated and yet – they come.  Many have experienced loss.  Tremendous loss.  Heart-breaking loss. 

They are caregivers.  Friends.  Family.  Together, they form an army.

Some are survivors who are still fighting.  They are few; far too few – but they are mighty. Courageous. Inspirational. And they are growing; although slowly – their numbers are increasing.

All are giving everything they have – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  Everything.

They come determined, oh-so-committed and passionate.  That passion runs deep.  It’s not the kind of passion you see at a stadium with 100,000 people on their feet.  It’s much more than that.  It is a passion that burns even in the quietest of moments, far away from any crowd.  Together they are unstoppable.  They move mountains. 

They come from every corner of the nation and beyond. From every walk of life.  They are our parents, our grandparents.  Our spouses.  Our brothers and sisters.  Our aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces and more.  They’re our friends.  Our neighbors.  Our co-workers. 

They belong to a family they hope no one else will ever be a part of.  A family they are thankful for and have great love for, but still not the family they wanted.

Their passion fuels their mission.  To find answers.  To make a difference.  To give hope and to find hope.  To connect with others who have shared experience.

Hope is the key.  Real hope.  Tangible hope.  Something they can hold on to and feel in their heart.  The kind of hope that makes them clench their fists. The kind of hope that brings tears to their eyes because they have a reason to believe.  Together, they Wage Hope. 

Hope is their weapon.  They wield it like a sword.  It is also their protection.  A shield.

Losing someone is always hard.  Losing someone to pancreatic cancer has a devastating impact.  The fight; although incredibly fierce, is often terribly short.  The odds against fighting pancreatic cancer are overwhelming.  Tidal-wave overwhelming.  Fall-to-your-knees overwhelming.  Collapsing-in-the-arms-of –loved-one overwhelming.

“They” are the PanCAN volunteers and survivors.  Magnificent.  Inspirational.

It has been my profound honor to serve them.  To Wage Hope with them and for them.  To do whatever I could to help them move forward. 

Every story has touched my heart. Every single one.  Especially the stories of you, my PanCAN colleagues.  Julie.  Pam.   Julia.  Cheyenne.  Sheri.  Britney.  Natascha.  All of you working here who carry the torch for someone who has been impacted by this disease.  It has been an absolute pleasure to Wage Hope with every single one of you.  It has been humbling to be surrounded by such greatness.  That includes those who have gone on to other places and causes. 

I have often said that I came to PanCAN to make a difference and to have an impact, but I have found the impact all of you have had on me is much greater than what I was able to give. 

Thank you.  From my whole heart – Thank you! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of what you have done and continue to do.

Now, it’s time for me to say good-bye.  I hate good-byes, but this is in fact “good-bye.”  At least for now.  I do not know if or when I might see you again – so rather than leaving without saying anything – I want to wish you well.  All of you.  Every single one of you.

I am embarking on a new journey.  Next stop - Azusa Pacific University (APU). To answer the “call.” It’s a long story… and I will tell this story one day soon.

APU will be my new home and although I am leaving PanCAN – PanCAN will always be a part of me.  Always. 

It’s time to look forward.  Onward I go.  God bless.

It's a Good Grind

I often sit at my desk "grinding" through names, desperately trying to find the “stories” that connect our donors to our organization.  The work can be intensive.  Trying to piece together the relationships and eliminate the duplicate records and all the things that go along with the process of learning each story takes time. There's lots of steps and every now and then the process feels overwhelming.  Sometimes, I just lean back in my chair and take a deep breath.  Then, I keep going because in the meantime, “people are dying.”

That’s a phrase straight from our founder's lips.  I remember standing in Pam's office some time ago, venting a bit about something and Pam just said, “In the meantime, people are dying.”  Those words echo in my head every day.  It’s why I Wage Hope.

I just found Samuel today.  He lost his mom – Phyllis .  He wrote this on the PurpleStride page dedicated to her...  “This past March Pancreatic Cancer took my mother Phyllis Taylor, way before she or I were ready. The disease does not care who you are or how you have lived because my Mom was one of the kindest, overall great people to ever grace this planet with her presence. I, along with so many, miss her dearly. She has and continues to have such a huge and positive impact on my life. She is definitely proud of the way my family has showed resilience and bonded together during this time of mourning.”

“Unfortunately, the money that has been raised to this point could not save my Mom's life, but it could potentially save the life of a person you love. Please join us in this fight to end what is undeniably one of the worst types of cancer. “

As I connected him in RE (our database) to his mom and dad, I whispered… “ I got you Sam.”  I was basically sying "I understand and I'm here for you."

His dad just made a nice gift. That's what started me on this particular journey... to see how we might engage the family even more. To do that, it all starts with "the story" - the details of why someone is engaged with us.

It can be incredibly hard to read these stories day in and day out.  That being said – it’s harder to lose someone to cancer…

That’s why I grind away.  I may never meet Sam, but I have his “back.”  Sam is only 25.  He’s raised $2,050 so far.  The team has raised $8,335.  They’re all having an impact. 

I came to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to have an impact, but the organization, the leadership, the patients, the volunteers, the donors, my colleagues and their stories continue to have an impact on me.  I can’t stop.  I need to keep grinding.

To get to the point where we are raising $50 million a year,  it’s going to take a monumental effort.  We have to grind through a lot of names just to find the ones who can become more engaged at a deeper level.  Then we have to reach them, engage them and eventually ask them.  Picture a huge funnel that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom.  It’s hard work.  

There are thousands of stories in our database waiting to be discovered and more importantly - to be heard. I am on a mission to learn them one person a time.  Each story helps us find ways to better engage our constituents and at the same time, further our mission.

I know everyone at my organization is doing their part.  It’s inspiring to be in this fight with each of them. 

Together, we Wage Hope.