Inside Track

  •  
Stay up to date with all Pancreatic Cancer Action Network news.

Message From The Volunteer Advisory Council

We all know that PanCAN offers many opportunities to participate in the fight against pancreatic cancer. Many of us have just recently set up tents, hung banners and encouraged our communities to rally together to raise the necessary funds to help end this deadly disease. As we head into Advocacy season, we will speak and write to Congress about the urgent need for funding for pancreatic cancer research. We are well-prepared to speak on the disease with various audiences. But for me, one simple act is the most important: sharing our personal stories. 

Sharing stories about personal experiences is the building block of human connectivity and empathy. It is powerful, and its reach can be long-lasting. And when we are able to share someone’s personal experience, we are able to humanize PanCAN’s goals. They bring life to advocacy letters and faces to our fundraising goals. My first thought was of Randy Pausch when my dad was diagnosed because his story was well-known even before I knew anything about pancreatic cancer. The immediate connection with a person I never personally knew brought light to just how connected we can be.
 
As the Communications Chair, my role in providing a platform to help someone speak about how pancreatic cancer has affected them is fulfilling and vital. When I am able to help someone talk about their loved one or when I can highlight an oncologist or even a nurse to a larger audience, I truly feel that someone out there in our world needs to hear it. My hope is that just one person is touched in a way that causes them to take action. PanCAN has created a space where we can safely share joy, pain and even heartbreak. So I’d like to ask you to invite someone to share their story. Here are some questions you can pass along to help guide them:
 
1.      Tell me about your loved one/yourself. (married, kids, grandkids, hobbies)
2.      Why is PanCAN/PurpleStride/Advocacy etc., so important to you?
3.      How long have you participated in PanCAN event (PurpleStride, Advocacy)?
4.      Have you utilized PanCAN Patient Services? And how did they help? (If they haven’t, invite them to contact them)
 
Although pancreatic cancer is our common thread, each story is unique and worth being heard. We, as volunteers, have an excellent opportunity to help legacies live on. We get the privilege to help someone speak about their experiences – good or bad. Their journeys are why we say, “Wage Hope” or “Moments Matter.” By creating the connection between experiences and providing support, we can better make PanCAN’s vision a reality.
 
  • Written by Angeli Bateman, VAC Member

Posted by Paula Mukherjee on May 12, 2022 6:00 AM CDT