PanCAN PurpleStride 2024 is fast approaching. It is the annual walk across the country where we all come together on one day, April 27, 2024, as one community to stride and raise funds for pancreatic cancer research.

I have been with this organization for 14 years now. I joined after the passing of both my mom and my younger sister from this dreaded cancer in 2010, just six months apart. When I started with PanCAN in January of 2011, my first PurpleStride was just in the planning stages for Milwaukee, Wis. The Milwaukee Lakefront was the venue for our walk for the next two years.  I had no idea what to do, what to expect, or how many people would come, but we all came together in a sea of purple where we met the survivors and remembered those who we lost.  The walk was on the small side that year, but we knew that was just the start of better things to come.

Our affiliate began to grow each year and our venue was moved to Milwaukee’s Miller Park. We kept our walk at Miller Park for many years and we continued to get bigger, stronger, and raised more funds every single year.  In June of 2019, after the hard work of so many affiliate members and volunteers, we had our biggest PurpleStride of all time. The memory of this particular PurpleStride will be etched in my mind forever.  We had more survivors attend than ever before. We talked to each one of them. They told their stories, we shared their triumphs and hopes, and we saw their strength as they were determined to fight their battle like no other.

The walkers, the runners, and families came out in abundance more than we saw at any other PurpleStride. They held pictures of their loved ones, they walked, ran, and cried in remembrance of each beautiful soul lost. We listened to their stories and in so many instances, as different as each story was, we realized we were all there for one cause, to help fight and get rid of this horrible cancer that has plagued far too many. 

As I stood on stage with our core group of volunteers, I looked out across at the vast sea of purple, the biggest crowd we have ever seen in Milwaukee, and I had tears streaming down my face.  I remembered why we were all there, all the hard work was so worthwhile.  Our affiliate was growing leaps and bounds, we were spreading the word, and we were raising funds for pancreatic cancer research. Our Milwaukee Affiliate was doing their part, and I was never so proud to be a part of all of it. 

Since Covid, we are starting over again. Milwaukee and Madison affiliates are now merged as one, we are all one great Wisconsin Affiliate.  We have an exciting new venue and I know in my heart we’ll once again be standing on the stage looking over that huge sea of purple with tears streaming down, saying “We worked hard” and “Look what we did again!!!”