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In Conversation: Interview With Derrick Camacho, Teams & Individual Development Chair, Colorado Affiliate
Colorado Team and Individual Development Chair Derrick Camacho spoke with Community Engagement Coordinator Paula Mukherjee about his first interactions with PanCAN, relationships with fellow volunteers, and PanCAN PurpleStride 2023 planning. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Paula: What first brought you to PanCAN?
Derrick: My father passed away in 2008 from pancreatic cancer. He had gone to a chiropractor because he thought he pulled his lower back muscles. The chiropractor said that it had nothing to do with his spine, so he probably needs to go see a specialist. His PCP sent him to the oncologist, who told him to get his matters in order with his family. Back then, the five-year survival rate was in the single digits. He tried to do some chemo, some radiation, but all that really did was affect his everyday living and ability to do the things he wanted to do with his children and grandchildren. He said he was tired of getting poked at and wanted to go home. We took care of him as long as we could. That was my first exposure to pancreatic cancer.
When I moved to Colorado, something just told me to start looking up 5Ks or walks or volunteering. I came across PanCAN PurpleStride. When I went to pick up my T-shirt, I met Kara Saldeen (now Mission Chair), Debbie Honeker (now PurpleStride Chair), and other people in the affiliate leadership. I started talking to people because I wanted to hear their stories. I was still clueless. We had done the research on pancreatic cancer, but my dad was the only one I'd known that had it. I didn't know there were hundreds of thousands of other people that went through what I did. I found out that PanCAN Patient Services helps out caregivers and patients. That's how I was introduced to PanCAN and PurpleStride. The next day, Kara asked if I would like to help with the opening ceremonies. I said, “Oh yeah, no doubt. Let's do this.” Right after doing that, she asked if I would like to be the Team and Individual Development Chair. Without even knowing what I was getting myself into, I dove right into the deep end.
That’s the backstory of how I became part of PurpleStride and PanCAN, and the rest is history. That was in 2019, so this will be my fourth PurpleStride here in Colorado. I think I'm a lifer. I will always do what I have to do to help out the cause and fight this deadly disease.
Paula: I’m really glad that you found PanCAN and that you're a lifer! You work closely with the PurpleStride Committee and other volunteers in your affiliate. What are those relationships like, and how do you work together?
Derrick: The Colorado Affiliate is a close-knit family. We’ve kept in constant contact throughout the years. We’ve became really good friends outside of PanCAN. We all know about each other's families, and obviously we all share something alike with this disease. We're bonded for life. I was kind of scared when I first started because I thought, “What am I getting myself into?” But everybody's been so resourceful and helpful in any way, whether it's making calls, helping out with emails, or posting on social media. Working with the Colorado Affiliate has been a dream. Community Relationship Manager Erin Rome came on last year and she hit the ground running. She is one of us already and she's like a sister to me.
Yes, I’m the Team and Individual Development Chair, but our whole affiliate makes phone calls for PurpleStride. We work closely together. It's always been a team effort. We have a group that does golf tournaments. I'm horrible at golf, but I'm going to show up. Then we have an individual that does car shows. I don't have a muscle car, but that doesn't mean I won’t show up and support the events. We have people who will ask restaurants to give back a percentage of sales to PanCAN. We'll go eat dinner and everybody will bring their families. They're my family; you're my family. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Paula: The Colorado Affiliate covers the whole state. What challenges does that pose?
Derrick: One of the downfalls is not being able to see most of the people that are far away. We try to have meetings centralized around Denver. You have people that can't come to our monthly meetings, so we do a lot of Zooms. We have people in the Denver metro area that we get to meet, but I don't see other people until probably PurpleStride every year. We’ve talked about holding a meeting down south or up north and bouncing around so we can reach out to some of those volunteers and Striders.
Paula: How are the preparations for PurpleStride 2023 going?
Derrick: Preparations are going well. We're sending out emails, making phone calls, setting up meetings, and trying to invite everybody. This weekend, I plan on knocking out a hundred phone calls. I say, “Hey, just register right now while I'm on the phone. Let's get it done.” We have some good challenges coming up where we're going to give away prizes like local beer. We try to get the team captains to build their teams. Next week we have a meeting about how to push people to come back to PurpleStride and how to reach out to participants from the past. We are going back all the way to when I first started. We are even emailing some that have not come back to see what would help them register and telling them, “We would love to have you come and join us for the walk.” Come show your face, come see the people at the event. That might get them motivated again. It gets me motivated when I see survivors and all the teams come together.
Paula: When you're working with teams and individual fundraisers who have already registered, how do you encourage them to fundraise, hit their goals, and earn incentives?
Derrick: Have them feel my energy. Get them excited about it. We send out emails when somebody signs up: “Hey, welcome back,” or “Hey, welcome to PurpleStride. We look forward to doing this with you and thank you.” Then we go over the fundraising steps; connect your fundraising page to Facebook Fundraiser, download the PurpleStride app. Ask them, “Do you need help? Do you need help with Facebook?” We're here for you. We try to touch participants more than one time, via emails, calls, and social media. We encourage them and show that we're doing everything we can, too.
Paula: What is your favorite part of event day?
Paula: The vibe of everybody there, the emotions, seeing a survivor show up. We are walking for them to keep fighting, and we’re striding for the people who didn’t survive. Setting up and watching people show up and pick up their T-shirts. Watching people come in to volunteer to set up – they’re coming on a Friday, which is a workday for a lot of people. It's a good, good feeling to have people you don't know show up to volunteer. All we did was post it on Facebook and say, “If you want to show up and give a helping hand, that'd be awesome. If you can't, we'll see you on Saturday.” We always walk up and introduce ourselves. That's what I love about the Colorado Affiliate: there are no strangers.
Paula: You run your own consulting business. How has volunteering shaped your work skills or vice-versa?
Derrick: My line of work and my role at PanCAN, they go hand-in-hand together. You use the same model to communicate. You have to be personable with people and you have to be mindful of their emotions. There have been times where I've called people and they're just not in the mood to talk about PanCAN. In the sales world or in marketing, you’ve got to get over that hump and talk to people and sympathize with them. You have to let them know that you've been down that road.
Paula: Why should people who have been affected by pancreatic cancer consider volunteering with PanCAN?
Derrick: A lot of people think, “I’m just one person, I can't make a difference.” Yes, they can make a difference. I'm one person as well. I try to let them know that they're needed, they're wanted, and they absolutely are important for what we're trying to do. It’s making them feel what I'm feeling. To see people's faces light up when you volunteer – that’s a feel-good thing for me. I don't need somebody to pat me on the back or an award. You want to always be a helping person.
Paula: Derrick, thank you for your time and thank you for everything you are doing for PanCAN.
Please feel free to contact Derrick Camacho (dcamacho@pancanvolunteer.org) or Paula Mukherjee (pmukherjee@pancan.org) with any questions.
Paula: What first brought you to PanCAN?
Derrick: My father passed away in 2008 from pancreatic cancer. He had gone to a chiropractor because he thought he pulled his lower back muscles. The chiropractor said that it had nothing to do with his spine, so he probably needs to go see a specialist. His PCP sent him to the oncologist, who told him to get his matters in order with his family. Back then, the five-year survival rate was in the single digits. He tried to do some chemo, some radiation, but all that really did was affect his everyday living and ability to do the things he wanted to do with his children and grandchildren. He said he was tired of getting poked at and wanted to go home. We took care of him as long as we could. That was my first exposure to pancreatic cancer.
When I moved to Colorado, something just told me to start looking up 5Ks or walks or volunteering. I came across PanCAN PurpleStride. When I went to pick up my T-shirt, I met Kara Saldeen (now Mission Chair), Debbie Honeker (now PurpleStride Chair), and other people in the affiliate leadership. I started talking to people because I wanted to hear their stories. I was still clueless. We had done the research on pancreatic cancer, but my dad was the only one I'd known that had it. I didn't know there were hundreds of thousands of other people that went through what I did. I found out that PanCAN Patient Services helps out caregivers and patients. That's how I was introduced to PanCAN and PurpleStride. The next day, Kara asked if I would like to help with the opening ceremonies. I said, “Oh yeah, no doubt. Let's do this.” Right after doing that, she asked if I would like to be the Team and Individual Development Chair. Without even knowing what I was getting myself into, I dove right into the deep end.
That’s the backstory of how I became part of PurpleStride and PanCAN, and the rest is history. That was in 2019, so this will be my fourth PurpleStride here in Colorado. I think I'm a lifer. I will always do what I have to do to help out the cause and fight this deadly disease.
Paula: I’m really glad that you found PanCAN and that you're a lifer! You work closely with the PurpleStride Committee and other volunteers in your affiliate. What are those relationships like, and how do you work together?
Derrick: The Colorado Affiliate is a close-knit family. We’ve kept in constant contact throughout the years. We’ve became really good friends outside of PanCAN. We all know about each other's families, and obviously we all share something alike with this disease. We're bonded for life. I was kind of scared when I first started because I thought, “What am I getting myself into?” But everybody's been so resourceful and helpful in any way, whether it's making calls, helping out with emails, or posting on social media. Working with the Colorado Affiliate has been a dream. Community Relationship Manager Erin Rome came on last year and she hit the ground running. She is one of us already and she's like a sister to me.
Yes, I’m the Team and Individual Development Chair, but our whole affiliate makes phone calls for PurpleStride. We work closely together. It's always been a team effort. We have a group that does golf tournaments. I'm horrible at golf, but I'm going to show up. Then we have an individual that does car shows. I don't have a muscle car, but that doesn't mean I won’t show up and support the events. We have people who will ask restaurants to give back a percentage of sales to PanCAN. We'll go eat dinner and everybody will bring their families. They're my family; you're my family. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Paula: The Colorado Affiliate covers the whole state. What challenges does that pose?
Derrick: One of the downfalls is not being able to see most of the people that are far away. We try to have meetings centralized around Denver. You have people that can't come to our monthly meetings, so we do a lot of Zooms. We have people in the Denver metro area that we get to meet, but I don't see other people until probably PurpleStride every year. We’ve talked about holding a meeting down south or up north and bouncing around so we can reach out to some of those volunteers and Striders.
Paula: How are the preparations for PurpleStride 2023 going?
Derrick: Preparations are going well. We're sending out emails, making phone calls, setting up meetings, and trying to invite everybody. This weekend, I plan on knocking out a hundred phone calls. I say, “Hey, just register right now while I'm on the phone. Let's get it done.” We have some good challenges coming up where we're going to give away prizes like local beer. We try to get the team captains to build their teams. Next week we have a meeting about how to push people to come back to PurpleStride and how to reach out to participants from the past. We are going back all the way to when I first started. We are even emailing some that have not come back to see what would help them register and telling them, “We would love to have you come and join us for the walk.” Come show your face, come see the people at the event. That might get them motivated again. It gets me motivated when I see survivors and all the teams come together.
Paula: When you're working with teams and individual fundraisers who have already registered, how do you encourage them to fundraise, hit their goals, and earn incentives?
Derrick: Have them feel my energy. Get them excited about it. We send out emails when somebody signs up: “Hey, welcome back,” or “Hey, welcome to PurpleStride. We look forward to doing this with you and thank you.” Then we go over the fundraising steps; connect your fundraising page to Facebook Fundraiser, download the PurpleStride app. Ask them, “Do you need help? Do you need help with Facebook?” We're here for you. We try to touch participants more than one time, via emails, calls, and social media. We encourage them and show that we're doing everything we can, too.
Paula: What is your favorite part of event day?
Paula: The vibe of everybody there, the emotions, seeing a survivor show up. We are walking for them to keep fighting, and we’re striding for the people who didn’t survive. Setting up and watching people show up and pick up their T-shirts. Watching people come in to volunteer to set up – they’re coming on a Friday, which is a workday for a lot of people. It's a good, good feeling to have people you don't know show up to volunteer. All we did was post it on Facebook and say, “If you want to show up and give a helping hand, that'd be awesome. If you can't, we'll see you on Saturday.” We always walk up and introduce ourselves. That's what I love about the Colorado Affiliate: there are no strangers.
Paula: You run your own consulting business. How has volunteering shaped your work skills or vice-versa?
Derrick: My line of work and my role at PanCAN, they go hand-in-hand together. You use the same model to communicate. You have to be personable with people and you have to be mindful of their emotions. There have been times where I've called people and they're just not in the mood to talk about PanCAN. In the sales world or in marketing, you’ve got to get over that hump and talk to people and sympathize with them. You have to let them know that you've been down that road.
Paula: Why should people who have been affected by pancreatic cancer consider volunteering with PanCAN?
Derrick: A lot of people think, “I’m just one person, I can't make a difference.” Yes, they can make a difference. I'm one person as well. I try to let them know that they're needed, they're wanted, and they absolutely are important for what we're trying to do. It’s making them feel what I'm feeling. To see people's faces light up when you volunteer – that’s a feel-good thing for me. I don't need somebody to pat me on the back or an award. You want to always be a helping person.
Paula: Derrick, thank you for your time and thank you for everything you are doing for PanCAN.
Please feel free to contact Derrick Camacho (dcamacho@pancanvolunteer.org) or Paula Mukherjee (pmukherjee@pancan.org) with any questions.
