Governor Baker joins "Saving by Shaving" event for pancreatic cancer research

Boston is abuzz this week, not only with the Boston Marathon days away, but also with thousands of buzz cuts supporting pancreatic cancer research! On April 13, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and Boston Red Sox President Sam Kennedy joined Rob Hale, CEO of Granite Telecommunications, and over a thousand Granite employees at the company’s fourth annual “Saving by Shaving” event. In total, the event raised $5 million for pancreatic cancer research at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the nation’s deadliest major cancers with a five-year survival rate of just 9 percent. The disease now kills more people than breast cancer, recently becoming the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States and projected to become the second-leading cancer killer around 2020.

Like the “Saving by Shaving” event, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is a proud supporter of pancreatic cancer research at Dana Farber. One recent project funded by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is a unique collaboration between Dana Farber’s Brian Wolpin, MD, MPH, and University of Rochester‘s David Linehan, MD. The co-Principal Investigators received The Shirley Sadoff – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Research Acceleration Network-2 Grant in 2016, to accelerate a large-scale clinical trial bringing a new immunotherapy to patients with pancreatic cancer and testing how each and every patient responds to better predict which patients might benefit the most from this novel treatment.

“From the labs of Dana Farber, to ‘Saving by Shaving’ and PurpleStride, the walk to end pancreatic cancer that will take over the Boston Common this fall, the Boston community’s passion and dedication to pancreatic cancer is exemplary,” says Julie Fleshman, JD, MBA, president and CEO of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. “Special thanks to Governor Baker and Rob Hale for continuing to be such strong leaders in this fight. We are grateful to Wage Hope with committed individuals in Boston and across our nation.”

Want to make a difference? Get involved with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in the Boston area and beyond!

Upcoming Boston events:

  • Understanding Pancreatic Cancer Educational Seminar on May 11, 2017 featuring Dana Farber’s Dr. Wolpin, who will speak about research advancements along with experts on nutrition and treatment
  • PurpleStride Boston on November 5, 2017 on the Boston Common
  • Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s Boston Affiliate April Meeting – April 29, 2017
  • Find the latest advocacy and awareness events in your area today.