­Purple Stride Event Supports Pancreatic Cancer Awareness

By Nancy K. Crevier

It is estimated that 42,470 men and women will be diagnosed with and that 35,240 men and women will die of cancer of the pancreas in 2009, according to the National Cancer Institute. It is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Yet because it is relatively rare in comparison to breast, lung, and colon cancer, most contributions to cancer research do not focus on the diagnosis or improved treatment of pancreatic cancer.

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCan) is dedicated to research, and earlier and better methods of screening for the disease. The nonprofit organization founded in 1999 supports funding, research, and awareness through tax deductible donations from corporations, individuals, and fundraising efforts.

On Sunday, November 1, area residents can join in the effort to raise funds for pancreatic cancer research and community education at the Purple Stride Walk/Run at Danbury Fair Mall. Registration opens at 7:30 am, at tables located just outside of the former Filene’s storefront off of Backus Avenue. Opening ceremonies are at 8:30, and the two-and-a-half-mile walk steps off at 9 am. The course follows the road circling the outside of Danbury Fair Mall, and Kristen Angell and Ellen Klaus, who along with Mary Angell and Karen Rowe are the coordinators for the Purple Stride event, said that it will be held rain or shine.

The four women have all experienced first-hand the sadness of losing someone they love to pancreatic cancer.

Mary Angell’s husband and Kristen’s father, Kenneth Angell, died in April 2008, just a few days shy of his one year diagnosis.

Karen Rowe and Ellen Klaus lost their husbands to the disease, just a few months after the diagnosis.

 The cancer was already at stage 4 before any of their loved ones were diagnosed, a not uncommon occurrence for those with this deadly form of cancer. Symptoms are not obvious and can range from the mysterious back pain Berny Klaus experienced, to repeated blood clots experienced by Kenneth Angell. Her husband was finally diagnosed, said Ms Klaus, when he went in for unrelated gall bladder surgery and the CAT scan picked up the pancreatic cancer. “The doctor told us by the time you have symptoms, it’s already too late,” said Ms Klaus.

If pancreatic cancer is detected early, a very rare and usually accidental happening, major surgery with “a decent survival rate,” said Kristen Angell, is available. “At stage 4, the cancer is treated with chemotherapy, but it’s just to buy time. There is no cure. There is only a five percent survival rate within five years,” she said.

“There has to be a better way to detect this, early on,” said Ms Angell. “There isn’t any kind of screening for it.” Not even a blood test exists to detect this cancer, leaving individuals with a family history of pancreatic cancer in the dark.

“It scares me,” said Ms Klaus. “I have two sons, and pancreatic cancer is more prevalent in men. But we have no way of telling if they carry it.”

Mary and Kristen Angell, Karen Rowe, and Ellen Klaus make up the first PanCan affiliate in Danbury, and possibly in the state, they said. The November 1 Purple Stride Walk/Run, kicking off Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month, is the first Purple Stride event in the state.

Opening ceremonies will include this year’s honorary chairperson, Paula Cardinale, a two-year pancreatic cancer survivor who will share her story and lead the walk.

“We want to get the word out about pancreatic cancer and about this walk,” Ms Klaus said. “We hope this event grows every year.”

Participants can form teams, with registration available online until October 23, or the morning of the event. All are encouraged to collect donations from friends, neighbors, employers, and family. Prizes will be awarded to those collecting $100 and over.

For more information or to register or donate, visit pancan.org/purplestridedanbury. Volunteers are needed. Contact Kristen Angell at angell25@sbcglobal.net for information.

“There is no good news out there for those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer,” said Ms Angell, “and we want to change that. This is my way of dealing with my dad’s death, by doing something positive.”