Chuck Kelley spoke with Lynn Platt, the Co-Founder of the Pancreatic Cancer Association of Western New York.
-Lynn talked about how her mother died from the disease in 2010 and how seeing her mom suffering with the disease led to her reaching out to people on the Hopkins message board. She connected with two other women that also had family members dealing with pancreatic cancer.
-The 3 women decided to start the Pancreatic Cancer Association of Western New York and the Step it Up Walk.
-The mission of the organization is to create awareness for pancreatic cancer, raise funds for research and provide resources and support for patients and their family members.
-It’s a local nonprofit, all the money stays local and in particular supports research at Wilmot Cancer Institute in Rochester and families receiving treatment.
-She talked about how families start to struggle financially when receiving treatment, there might be a loss of income or just an overwhelming amount of expenses. If the social worker at Wilmot recommends a patient or family for support then they will help them with parking expenses, gas, food and more.
-Lynnn talked about the importance of awareness as there are no early detection methods or routine screening and this is an aggressive form of cancer.
-She said that pancreatic cancer is the 3rd leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States and so she encouraged people to advocate for their own health.
-She listed some of the symptoms and explained how many times they mimic other health issues like digestive issues or back issues.
-Lynn encouraged people to join them for their 15th annual Step it Up Walk. She said that there would be tons of family fun activities in addition to the walk.