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In Conversation: Lee Reitler, Mission Chair, Orange County Affiliate
Orange County Mission Chair Lee Reitler spoke with Community Engagement Senior Specialist Paula Mukherjee about Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month and fundraising strategies for PanCAN PurpleStride. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Paula: How did you initially find PanCAN?
Lee: When my first wife was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, I immediately took a leave of absence and started searching online for support and information. I contacted PanCAN Patient Services through the PanCAN website.
A Case Manager called me to offer suggestions and support group opportunities. I am a physician and had an ample number of colleagues who had relationships with pancreatic cancer experts, so I ended up using them instead.
When my wife died, I selected PanCAN as the recipient of donations in memory of her. That was really when my relationship with PanCAN started.
My second wife, Dwaine, and I have a unique story; we both lost our spouses to pancreatic cancer.
As a physician, I lost over 30 patients over my career to pancreatic cancer. It’s a really personal issue.
Paula: What took you from your initial involvement with PanCAN to volunteering with the Orange County Affiliate and fundraising for PanCAN PurpleStride?
Lee: I have a group of friends at the golf course where I play who knew my first wife well.
They're like me; we're fearful of social media and online banking. So, I do something nobody else does: a hard copy letter to request donations. Dwaine and I update this each year, and she uses her great handwriting to write the addresses by hand, so people actually open them.
We send it to 100 people, about 30 of them respond, and we get checks of up to $10,000.
I’m not an expert on how to do social media, but we do send out a blast on Facebook where we raise about $100 of our $25,000 or $30,000 fundraising total. It’s just not what works the best for us.
Paula: It sounds like you know your supporters well and have a strategy for them that makes sense!
Lee: Yeah, I think it does. There may be other people in the country like me who don’t feel comfortable with social media but would like to honor someone they lost. It is a strategy that can be effective, and we do collect a significant amount of money.
Paula: What drew you to the Mission Chair role in particular?
Lee: My goal with PanCAN is simply to go out and share my story. I'm not at all uncomfortable talking to people. I enjoy it! I'm not a pancreatic cancer expert and I am frequently asked questions outside of my general practitioner expertise, but sharing my experiences with an audience and referring them to PanCAN is always adequate.
I'm very willing to participate and, because I’m retired, I have the time.
Paula: What do you have planned for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month?
Lee: I went to the Huntington Beach City Council and received a proclamation acknowledging PanCAN for its contributions. We also got 10 minutes on local TV. I left handouts about PanCAN at City Hall and the City Council members agreed to wear purple bracelets and ribbons on World Pancreatic Cancer Day, Nov. 21.
I go to the Huntington Beach Senior Center every month to talk to the community. I found a new volunteer and a PurpleStride donor there. I speak a little Spanish, so I also go to health fairs for Spanish speakers.
Paula: Why should other people who have been affected by pancreatic cancer consider becoming a PanCAN volunteer?
Lee: I think it decreases the pain you feel.
When you lose your spouse, your first thought is, “Why am I still here? Why am I still around?”
When you can do something that makes an impact, you not only get a sense of purpose for yourself, but you also honor your loved one.
Paula: Thank you for everything you do for PanCAN, Lee!
Please feel free to contact Lee Reitler (leereitler@gmail.com) or Paula Mukherjee (pmukherjee@PanCAN.org) with any questions.
Paula: How did you initially find PanCAN?
Lee: When my first wife was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, I immediately took a leave of absence and started searching online for support and information. I contacted PanCAN Patient Services through the PanCAN website.
A Case Manager called me to offer suggestions and support group opportunities. I am a physician and had an ample number of colleagues who had relationships with pancreatic cancer experts, so I ended up using them instead.
When my wife died, I selected PanCAN as the recipient of donations in memory of her. That was really when my relationship with PanCAN started.
My second wife, Dwaine, and I have a unique story; we both lost our spouses to pancreatic cancer.
As a physician, I lost over 30 patients over my career to pancreatic cancer. It’s a really personal issue.
Paula: What took you from your initial involvement with PanCAN to volunteering with the Orange County Affiliate and fundraising for PanCAN PurpleStride?
Lee: I have a group of friends at the golf course where I play who knew my first wife well.
They're like me; we're fearful of social media and online banking. So, I do something nobody else does: a hard copy letter to request donations. Dwaine and I update this each year, and she uses her great handwriting to write the addresses by hand, so people actually open them.
We send it to 100 people, about 30 of them respond, and we get checks of up to $10,000.
I’m not an expert on how to do social media, but we do send out a blast on Facebook where we raise about $100 of our $25,000 or $30,000 fundraising total. It’s just not what works the best for us.
Paula: It sounds like you know your supporters well and have a strategy for them that makes sense!
Lee: Yeah, I think it does. There may be other people in the country like me who don’t feel comfortable with social media but would like to honor someone they lost. It is a strategy that can be effective, and we do collect a significant amount of money.
Paula: What drew you to the Mission Chair role in particular?
Lee: My goal with PanCAN is simply to go out and share my story. I'm not at all uncomfortable talking to people. I enjoy it! I'm not a pancreatic cancer expert and I am frequently asked questions outside of my general practitioner expertise, but sharing my experiences with an audience and referring them to PanCAN is always adequate.
I'm very willing to participate and, because I’m retired, I have the time.
Paula: What do you have planned for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month?
Lee: I went to the Huntington Beach City Council and received a proclamation acknowledging PanCAN for its contributions. We also got 10 minutes on local TV. I left handouts about PanCAN at City Hall and the City Council members agreed to wear purple bracelets and ribbons on World Pancreatic Cancer Day, Nov. 21.
I go to the Huntington Beach Senior Center every month to talk to the community. I found a new volunteer and a PurpleStride donor there. I speak a little Spanish, so I also go to health fairs for Spanish speakers.
Paula: Why should other people who have been affected by pancreatic cancer consider becoming a PanCAN volunteer?
Lee: I think it decreases the pain you feel.
When you lose your spouse, your first thought is, “Why am I still here? Why am I still around?”
When you can do something that makes an impact, you not only get a sense of purpose for yourself, but you also honor your loved one.
Paula: Thank you for everything you do for PanCAN, Lee!
Please feel free to contact Lee Reitler (leereitler@gmail.com) or Paula Mukherjee (pmukherjee@PanCAN.org) with any questions.
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