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Health & Fitness

July Mtg, 3 Advocacy Day summaries, Si Valley Purple Stride in November

There are 5 elements to this posting:

July Meeting in Sunnyvale rather than Campbell (Aug also, perhaps Sept also)

Advocacy Day and Purple Stride in Washington DC; Highlights (Sam Farr, Zoe Lofgren, Devin Nunes’ Policy Advisor)

Find out what's happening in Menlo Park-Athertonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Purple Stride

Archived webinars on PanCan website

Find out what's happening in Menlo Park-Athertonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Stanford Support groups

 

Monthly Affiliate Meeting graciously hosted by Sports Basement in Sunnyvale

SB provides refreshments and a discount!

NOTE change of venue for July-August, perhaps September also, as the SB Campbell store is being remodeled (major expansion)

 

Meeting Details

Wednesday, July 16 - 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sports Basement,
Sunnyvale

1177 Kern Avenue,  (West side of Lawrence Expy, between Arques & Duane/Oakmead), Sunnyvale, CA 94085

RSVP to Rich Blish RBlish@PanCanVolunteer.org or Diane Borrison at dborrison@pancanvolunteer.org, and get more information on the Silicon Valley Affiliate webpage.

  Join the Silicon Valley Affiliate of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network next Wednesday, July 16th  at 6:00 P. M. and find out how you can join the fight against pancreatic cancer. Be sure to Save the Date for PurpleStride Silicon Valley 8 November, 2014 for a 5K timed run and awareness walk through Discovery Meadow and many other, fun activities. Full details are available at http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1103516 (same link as below)   You will also be able to connect with the Silicon Valley Affiliate leadership team and learn how to raise awareness in our community. There will be refreshments!

 

P.S. - Not able to make the meeting? You can still join the fight against pancreatic cancer by joining us for PurpleStride Silicon Valley on Saturday, November 8. Visitwww.purplestride.org/siliconvalley for more information!

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is a nationwide network of people dedicated to working together to advance research, support patients and create hope for those affected by pancreatic cancer. Learn more at www.pancan.org.

 

Congress is already starting to Stomp on Pancreatic Cancer. View in a web browser.


Our guest columnist this month is Eugene Koay, MD, PhD. Dr. Koay was awarded the 2014 Skip Viragh Career Development Award from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. 
Read his Advocacy Day journal.

Learn more about pancreatic cancer and its treatment — and gain hope — by attending a local educational event in person or watching a webinar online anytime.Explore your options.


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Stomp on Pancreatic Cancer T-shirts are available from July 10 through August 31.

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Join our Circle of Hope this summer.

 ADVOCACY DAY AND NATIONAL CALL-IN MAKE IMPACT ON CONGRESS
On June 17, almost 1,400 advocates took action in person or over the phone. Within days, Congress acted! Find out more.
NEW DEADLIEST CANCERS CAUCUS GROWS

More than 100 congressional staff attended a June 19 briefing about the new bipartisan Congressional Caucus on the Deadliest Cancers. Find out if your Member of Congress is one of the 20 who have joined so you can thank them!

PALS IS HERE FOR YOU

Patients and families appreciate the attentive personalized service that Patient and Liaison Services (PALS) Associates provide.
Learn more.

FOUR STARS FROM 
CHARITY NAVIGATOR

For the tenth consecutive year, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network has received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. Find out why it's important.

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD AND MEDICAL ADVISORY BOARD MERGE

Moving forward, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network will draw on the expertise of a combined Scientific and Medical Advisory Board. Read more and view the joint board.

TRADING LAB COATS FOR RUNNING SHOES

Once again, healthcare professionals step outside hospitals and clinics to fight pancreatic cancer. 
Read their story
.

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Boise 9/6
Sacramento 9/14
San Diego 9/21

VIEW LOCAL EVENTS AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES 
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Help us continue to make progress toward our goal of doubling pancreatic cancer survival by 2020.

 

 

Another Advocacy Day Summary from Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Volunteer site

Let's Keep Stomping!

On June 17, around 450 purple-clad advocates—representing all 50 states—stormed Capitol Hill for Advocacy Day 2014. They were supported by 900 of their neighbors, friends, and family members back home who took part in the National Call-In. Together, they delivered a resounding message to Congress: Stomp on Pancreatic Cancer by stepping up federal research funding! All-in-all, our volunteers participated in over 320 meetings and made approximately 2,300 phone calls.

Excitingly, our efforts are already paying off! As part of our message to Congress, we asked members to join theCongressional Caucus on the Deadliest Cancers, a newly-founded caucus aimed at creating awareness about and advancing research into the deadliest cancers, including pancreatic cancer. Our advocates invited congressional staff to join us for the caucus’s first briefing held two days after Advocacy Day. Amazingly, the briefing was standing room only with over 100 staff members showed up! Many staffers told us they came because of the efforts of our volunteers on Advocacy Day. To date, 21 members of Congress have already joined the caucus. Check out the full list of members here, and be sure to complete the Thank You Alert at the bottom of the page if one of your members of Congress has joined. Two members of Congress were so moved by the message our volunteers delivered that they took to the floor of the House of Representatives to speak out about pancreatic cancer. Check out the videos of their statements here andhere.

Despite our accomplishments, we cannot let the momentum fade. There are still items we need Congress to take action on. For example, the House recently passed a defense bill that includes pancreatic cancer in the Department of Defense’s Peer-Reviewed Cancer Research Program—one of our key goals. However, that bill only funded the program at $15 million - $10 million less than last year's level. So now we are asking the Senate to restore funding for the program. Help us secure support by contacting your Senator.

Just because Advocacy Day is over, we will not be easing up on advocacy. Encourage others to join us in the next stages of the fight, and stay tuned for the At-Home Challenge coming up in August. Let’s keep the momentum going and remember to #keepstomping!

 

My personal experience at Advocacy Day

 

Advocacy Day was really gratifying in terms of the reception we got from Congress and their aides.  About 500 Advocates descended upon Congress 17 June.  We were split in teams of five, so each visited their own Senators and 3 House Reps.  Our most surprising visit was to Rep Devin Nunes (Fresno) for which we were supposed to drop off materials as we did not have a formal appointment.  We asked to whom we should give the material.  Their answer was to provide Nunes’ Policy Advisor, Jana Gordin Meisinger.  She immediately took us into the hall as the office was small and crowded.  We had a full fledged meeting “on the fly” and she was very receptive as she had lost a couple friends to pancreatic cancer.  We also saw Rep Zoe Lofgren (San Jose) whom both Diane and I knew previously, so that was a good meeting as well.  The “star of the show” was Rep Sam Farr (Santa Cruz).  We met with Rep Farr and his Chief of Staff (Rochelle Dornatt) for about half an hour.  Twice Rep Farr asked us, “What specifically can I do for you on Issue A or B?”  We had an interesting addition to our team of five for this visit, namely Andy Hospodor from UCSC (IT Director).  Andy had just published a paper on a novel treatment for pancreatic cancer which all of us found interesting.  Rep Farr asked Andy to write a one page summary, which Rep Farr would read on the floor of the House for inclusion in the Congressional Record!  Not done yet!  My friend Diane Borrison (an 8 yr survivor and the heart and soul of the Silicon Valley Affiliate) brought her granddaughters.  We asked for support on a particular line item for cancer research in the DoD budget which was schedule to come to a vote the next day.  Rep Farr offered that the granddaughters come on the House floor and cast his vote for him!  They did get on the floor, but likely they voted on one of the amendments as Jana had described the process to us and it was a bit different than we had realized.  There would be a succession of up/down votes on the amendments (many hours of voting), culminating in a vote on the bill itself together with approved amendments.

 It was also fun to walk with a huge crowd in Purple Stride DC the previous Saturday.  It was an interesting experience to walk down the center of Pennsylvania Avenue straight toward the Capitol

 

 

Here is an email to which we can all respond:

Dear Richard,

PurpleStride Silicon Valley 2014 is November 8th.   But the time to make strides is NOW. The need is urgent.

We need YOUR help, preferably before June 30th , in order to close the fiscal year-end revenue gap that we are currently facing, which is necessary to continue to grow our research efforts as well as the critical programs that we provide to the pancreatic cancer community.

As a champion for PurpleStride Silicon Valley you can help us reach our goal and ensure that we continue to take forward steps in the fight against pancreatic cancer.

Before June 30th, you can:

  Visit www.purplestride.org/siliconvalley to register for this year’s event.

  Share your goal with everyone you know on social media and email

  Make a donation to your own team or profile page

  Customize your team or profile page with a picture and a story about why you stride to kick-start your fundraising

As we approach the end of another fiscal year and reflect on the tremendous foundation that we have put in place over the past 15 years, we must continue to keep a keen eye on our Vision of Progress goal of doubling survival for pancreatic cancer by 2020.  Not only must we continue to accelerate progress, but we must push forward with a sense of urgency like never before.

Pancreatic cancer is predicted to move from the 4th leading cause of cancer death in this country to the 2nd leading cause by the year 2020 unless we step in and stop the momentum.  (Read more about the projections in our recent study here.)

Please feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email should you have any questions or concerns about registering your team.  I am here to support you in all of your fundraising efforts.

With gratitude,

Jeni Ayers

Corporate and Community Relations Manager

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

1500 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 200

Manhattan Beach, CA  90266

 

 

NOT to dilute PanCan’s efforts but to supplement them …

There are two different Support Groups at Stanford relevant to pancreatic cancer.  One is specifically for pancreatic cancer on the 2nd Wednesday each month (Camille.Wheatley@gmail.com) while the other is for Gastroenterology Caregivers on the 1st  Wednesday each month (RKenemuth@stanfordmed.org).  Both meet on 875 Blake Wilbur in room CC2105 of the Cancer Center at 6PM.

 

Archived PanCan webinars are available at

http://www.pancan.org/section-facing-pancreatic-cancer/learn-about-pan-cancer/educational-events/

 

 

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