At the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), our work to improve patient outcomes and ultimately cure pancreatic cancer is guided by bold national goals, grounded in local action, and fueled by deeply personal reasons. As we begin a new fiscal year, PanCAN has set ambitious corporate goals – advancing research, improving early detection, expanding access to care – and it’s up to all of us, as volunteers, to help bring them to life in our communities.

My journey to becoming a PanCAN volunteer probably mirrors some of yours – but in many ways, it's also uniquely my own. In 2007, I met John Bradley on a date. At the end of our second date, he told me he was a two-year pancreatic cancer survivor. I had no idea what that really meant – until I went home and Googled it. I quickly realized: I had just met a walking miracle.

John and I shared six-and-a-half years together before he passed in 2014. He always believed he had survived for a reason. That belief led us to bring a PanCAN affiliate to Boise in 2010. That’s how my volunteer journey began – with love, loss and a mission that still matters deeply to me.

I’ll admit – there have been moments when I felt discouraged, wondering if what I was doing was really making a difference. But then someone I know – a co-worker, a family member – gets their own diagnosis and they know I’m a resource that they can connect with. Just recently, a friend called, heartbroken because her 30-year-old nephew was diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer. And in those moments, I’m reminded exactly why we keep showing up. They ground me in the power of connection and reinforce that every action we take – no matter how small – truly matters.

As volunteers, we organize events like PanCAN PurpleStride, educate the public, support patients and caregivers and grow the movement. Our efforts turn national strategy into real change. Whether your goal this year is to recruit more volunteers, build new partnerships or simply offer support to one more family – you’re making an impact.

Many of us are here because of personal experiences with this disease. That passion is our strength. When our individual goals are supported and aligned with the broader mission, we stay motivated, empowered and ready to do more.

As PanCAN moves forward with its new goals this fiscal year, let’s keep sight of our own too. Because when personal, local and national efforts come together, that’s when real progress happens.

Together, we’re not just part of the mission – we’re the heart of it.