Earlier today, our chief communications officer Michael Rosen and vice president of marketing, Jenny Isaacson, joined community leaders at the PurpleStride New Jersey 2017 Leadership Breakfast. The gathering kicked off fundraising efforts for PurpleStride New Jersey and served as a networking opportunity for the local pancreatic cancer community.

Jenny Isaacson with pancreatic cancer survivor Michael Weinstien. Michael is also the Donor and Corporate Ambassador for the Northern New Jersey Affiliate.

Guest speakers included PurpleStride New Jersey 2017 honorary co-chairs, Dr. Rosario Ligresti and Dr. Stephen Bigelsen, and nationally renowned gastrointestinal cancer researcher, Dr. Angela Alistar. Each guest touched upon their personal story with pancreatic cancer and why people should be fundraising for PurpleStride. Additionally, Dr. Alistar spoke about her recently published work on her phase 1 study on an investigational drug (CPI-613) for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

“This morning we had the wonderful opportunity to hear about the great work being done in the Northern New Jersey community to advance progress for pancreatic cancer,” Rosen said. “Today, we celebrated these efforts and emphasized that the work being done will change the course of the nation’s toughest cancer.”

In total, our organization has raised more than $76 million and engaged 512,000 individuals through almost 400 PurpleStrides events. These events support the critical work of our organization and play a key role in improving patient outcomes through initiatives such as Precision PromiseSM, Know Your Tumor® and the Patient Registry.

Stephen Bigelson, MD

“PurpleStride comprises nearly 40 percent of our annual revenue,” Isaacson noted. “Your efforts to raise money at PurpleStride enable us to advance our urgent mission to save lives.”

Last year, PurpleStride Northern New Jersey raised more than $370,000 with nearly 2,500 participants attending the event to Wage Hope against the nation’s toughest cancer with a five-year survival rate of just 9 percent.

“Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, and it will kill more people than breast cancer this year,” said Isaacson. “We must move forward with continued commitment and determination to beat this disease.”

Register today for a PurpleStride near you at purplestride.org.