Hello,
The month of November is National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. This page is my way to help spread awareness and raise funds to help fight this disease. I ask for your help to honor my father and those families who are affected by this disease. 100% of your tax deductible donation will go to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to help find a cure for this disease.
Pancreatic Cancer continues to be the 4th leading cause of cancer death in the United States but receives less than 2% of federal research dollars. An estimated 37,680 Americans will be diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in 2008 and that same year 34,290 will die from the disease. From a scientific research prospective, Pancreatic Cancer is where breast cancer was in the 1930's.
* The American Cancer Society's recently released report on cancer statistics states that Pancreatic Cancer is one of the few cancers for which survival has not improved substantially over the past 25 years.
* 75% of people with Pancreatic Cancer die within the first year of their diagnosis and only 5% survive more than 5 years.
* Pancreatic Cancer is the 3rd leading cause of cancer death among 40-59 year old men.
* The number of people diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and the number of deaths caused by Pancreatic Cancer are going up - not down. From 2006, these numbers are up 3,800 for those diagnosed and 1,070 for deaths.
I must admit I did not know much about Pancreatic Cancer until my father was diagnosed in 2005. He was a proud survivor until his passing on March 13th, 2008. He fought this cancer for over 35 months. He was an true inspiration to everyone who knew him.
I ask you to take a minute to think about how my father has touched your life. If he was still alive today he would be marching on Washington D.C. or attending PANCAN events. I have taken on his fight and have set a goal to raise $10,000 for Pancreatic Cancer research. 100% of your donation will go to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Your donation is tax deductible.
I would like to thank you for your time and your help. It means a lot to myself and my family. Although no amount of money can ever bring back my father, I just hope that the money that we can raise together will help others who face this horrible cancer.
For more information visit www.pancan.org
Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too.
Mark Hansen & Family