Largest Gathering of Advocates From Across the Country Use Their Voices, Calling on Congress to Fund Pancreatic Cancer Research

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – (May 17, 2021) – Registration has officially opened for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s (PanCAN) Action Week Voices in Action event. The leading pancreatic cancer patient advocacy organization is mobilizing advocates nationwide to join together for its first-ever Voices in Action virtual evening event where participants will hear inspiring stories and be encouraged to take action and advocate for more federal funding to change the future of pancreatic cancer. Kicking off Monday, June 14 at 5pm PT/8pm ET, the event will launch the beginning of PanCAN Action Week 2021, and will be hosted by 17-year pancreatic cancer survivor Kitty Swink (“Star Trek”), her husband, Armin Shimerman (“Star Trek”) and Jonathan Frakes (“Star Trek”), who lost his brother to the disease, with appearances by other special guests.

PanCAN’s Voices in Action is virtual, meaning anyone can participate and advocate to make a difference for pancreatic cancer patients and their families. Participants will hear heartfelt stories from PanCAN ambassadors about who they advocate for and why, and will also have the opportunity to honor those they love and remember those they’ve lost to the disease, in a moving tribute closing the event. Attendees will also be encouraged to use their voices to take action during PanCAN Action Week by contacting their Members of Congress to share the urgent need for ongoing, increased research funding for pancreatic cancer.

“We can all be advocates and have an impact in PanCAN’s mission to create a world in which all patients with pancreatic cancer will thrive,” said Julie Fleshman, JD, MBA, president and CEO, PanCAN. “One person can make a big difference, but together, we can do so much more.”

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death with a five-year survival rate of just 10 percent. In 2021, more than 60,000 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and approximately 48,000 will die from the disease. So many have been affected by this devastating disease including Jeopardy’s Alex Trebek, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Representative John Lewis just last year alone. These stories highlight the urgent need for more awareness, more federal and private funding for research, and more support for  PanCAN who is investing significantly in groundbreaking research initiatives for an early detection strategy and new treatments.

To date, PanCAN has invested approximately $126 million in large-scale research and clinical initiatives looking at early diagnosis and better treatment options to improve survival of pancreatic cancer. PanCAN’s Early Detection Initiative is a $25 million study to discover a strategy to detect pancreatic cancer at an earlier stage when it is more treatable. PanCAN’s Precision Promise is an adaptive clinical trial that is accelerating new treatment options for patients.

To register for Voices in Action for free, click here. For more information on the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and its urgent mission to save lives, visit pancan.org or follow PanCAN on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

About the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) leads the way in accelerating critical progress for pancreatic cancer patients. PanCAN takes bold action by funding life-saving research, providing personalized patient services and creating a community of supporters and volunteers who will stop at nothing to create a world in which all pancreatic cancer patients will thrive.