After two years of virtual fundraising events due to the ongoing pandemic, the Colorado affiliate of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s PanCAN PurpleStride® event will be back in person at Auraria Campus, Tivoli Quad on Saturday, April 30. PanCAN PurpleStride is a national movement that funds life-changing programs and services for pancreatic cancer patients and their families.
Denver7 is proud to be the television media partner of Colorado’s PanCAN PurpleStride. Denver7 Chief Investigative Reporter Tony Kovaleski will emcee the event.
Pancreatic cancer is the world’s deadliest cancer with a five-year survival rate of just 11 percent. It is also the third-leading cause of cancer-related death in America. In 2022, more than 62,000 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the U.S., and nearly 50,000 will die from the disease – including approximately 680 Coloradans.
For the first time ever, Colorado’s PurpleStride walk is coordinated with nearly 60 other communities across the nation for one nationally synchronized PanCAN PurpleStride event with beloved actor, writer and producer, Mindy Kaling, serving as the official ambassador for the nationwide campaign. Thousands of supporters across the country will to raise national awareness and much-needed funds for pancreatic cancer. PurpleStride Colorado’s goal is to raise $230,000. Nationally, PanCAN is aiming to raise $16.5 million. Funds raised through PanCAN PurpleStride provide pancreatic cancer patients with free, personalized information, services and resources that make a real difference in their lives.
“By taking action locally, we have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of pancreatic cancer patients nationwide,” said Debbie Honeker, PurpleStride Chair of PanCAN’s Colorado affiliate. “We are committed to continuing to raise vital funds and awareness to support the pancreatic cancer community and we’re looking forward to being back together in person this year to do so.”
While pancreatic cancer has received more attention recently due to many prominent individuals who have passed in recent years, including “JEOPARDY!” host Alex Trebek, actor Willie Garson, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and U.S. Representative John Lewis, an increase in public awareness and research funding remains critical.
To register for free, donate, or learn more about PurpleStride Colorado, visit purplestride.org/Colorado.
For more information on the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and its urgent mission to save lives, visit pancan.org.
About the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) leads the way in accelerating critical progress for pancreatic cancer patients. PanCAN takes bold action by funding life-saving research, providing personalized patient services and creating a community of supporters and volunteers who will stop at nothing to create a world in which all pancreatic cancer patients will thrive.
