In Conversation: Jann Skelton, Teams Chair, New York City Affiliate

Editor’s Note: New York City Teams Chair, top PanCAN PurpleStride fundraiser and PanCAN Volunteer Advisory Council (VAC) alumna Jann Skelton spoke with Community Engagement Senior Specialist Paula Mukherjee about her personal motivations, fundraising suggestions and hopes for PanCAN PurpleStride 2026.

Paula: How did you initially get connected with PanCAN?

Jann: We found PanCAN when my husband, David, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. PanCAN PurpleStride New York City was coming up, and that was the event closest to us.

We rallied the troops, raised $10,000 in a couple of days and showed up at the event for the first time.

PurpleStride 2026 will be our 13th event.

Paula: Were you familiar with pancreatic cancer before your husband’s diagnosis?

Jann: I’m a pharmacist, so I had a general understanding that pancreatic cancer was a disease. Did I know anything more about it? Absolutely not.

I Googled everything about pancreatic cancer, even though I was specifically advised not to search online.

We didn’t find PanCAN early enough in our journey, which is unfortunately the reality for many people. I got some information from PanCAN, but I didn’t connect with PanCAN Patient Services to talk to a Case Manager.

It wasn’t until after we lost David that I understood the scope of resources that would have been available to us through PanCAN.

When I connect with someone who has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, I immediately direct them to PanCAN. It’s been so rewarding to help them get the support I wish I had gotten.

Paula: I’d love to hear more about David.

Jann: He was an incredibly brilliant, funny and kind man. He earned a PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy) and excelled in his career in pharmaceuticals.

He loved golf. He was an amazing barbecue master.

He wanted to have kids more than anything in the world. He was an amazing father – the most present, loving and attentive father there was.

Our daughter, Hannah, will earn a graduate degree from Columbia in May. David was the first in his family to go to college. He would’ve been over the moon.

He would’ve been proud of both of our kids. The fact that they’ve thrived, even after losing him, reflects who he was as a father.

Paula: How did you deepen your involvement with PanCAN?

Jann: After we lost David, I got invited to a PurpleStride kickoff for the following year’s event. I almost didn’t go. I was having a difficult time being social and engaging with the world, but I decided it was important to attend.

I was seated with a researcher who had been awarded a grant from PanCAN. She told us that she used to focus primarily on breast cancer but receiving that grant encouraged her to shift her focus to pancreatic cancer.

It was an “aha” moment for me. This is how we make a change. It was the motivation I needed to keep going after I lost my person.

The other motivation was my kids, Hannah and William. They were very young at the time, and it was important to me to ensure that they could channel their loss into something positive.

Paula: How have you done so?

Jann: My kids have been instilled with the idea that supporting PanCAN is a way to remember, honor and celebrate their dad.

When William was 11, our family joined with the PanCAN community in Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress and encourage them to prioritize pancreatic cancer research.

He’s the one who struggled the most after David’s death. He felt so alone and like no one else in the world had lost a parent.

I’ll never forget this: we attended an advocacy event, and he was in room full of children who had also lost a parent to cancer. That is sad and terrible, of course, but it was also positive and life-changing for him because he saw that he wasn’t alone.

The kids wrote notes to members of Congress and William even spoke to one of our senators.

Paula: What has kept you motivated over the years?

Jann: I got invited to an event at PanCAN’s office as one of the top Team Captains in the country.

I flew out there during what I call my dark weeks. Our anniversary was July 31, David’s birthday was August 12, and he died on August 23. This event was right in the middle. I didn’t know how I was going to manage it.

One of the events was a research panel, and I wasn’t sure if I’d be interested. I thought about taking a nap, but the good angel on my shoulder told me to go to that session.

There was a presentation about the importance of early detection. One of the fears I have is whether my children are at risk for developing pancreatic cancer. Hearing this, at that moment in my life, made me realize again that this work is important.

My motivations have transitioned over time. I’m still very motivated because of David, but I’m also driven by the need to increase survival through early detection and create more options for those in high-risk groups.

Paula: Your PurpleStride team, David’s Daredevils, has been a top fundraising team for many years. What advice do you have for other Team Captains?

Jann: You have to ask. You ask and ask and ask a little bit more. Until you ask, you don’t know who will support you. You can’t be afraid to ask.

I ask in lots of different ways throughout the year. I post on Facebook. I text. I send personal emails.

I raise over $1,000 a year from people I don’t even know personally. They are friends of friends on Facebook who see my fundraising posts and want to contribute. Perhaps they’ve been impacted by pancreatic cancer, and my fundraiser gives them an opportunity to contribute.

Think about your broader network. Consider religious communities, sports teams and clubs. You’ll be shocked by the number of people who have been affected by this disease and are more than willing to help.

Make sure that you explain why this cause matters to you. For me, it’s important to remember and honor my husband, but it’s also important to make sure other families don’t go through this experience. It’s important that we raise money for early detection. Those are my top three reasons.

People support causes that matter to the people they love. When the pandemic began, I thought no one would donate, but we raised almost $25,000 in the month after COVID hit. It felt like the whole world was falling apart, but people still donated. I think that’s powerful.

Paula: You’ve participated in 12 PurpleStride events so far. Do you have an event day routine?

Jann: I rent a bus for our team of about 40 to 50 people. We gather at my house in New Jersey. Everybody has coffee and mimosas, and we head to the event site in New York City.

The event village at PurpleStride is always great and, as a top fundraising team, we are fortunate to always have a tent where we can hang out.

Paula: What’s your favorite part of event day?

Jann: Hearing from caregivers and survivors during the opening ceremony is always a highlight for me. They put a personal face to this disease in a way that everyone can understand. It’s always a tearjerker and reminds us about all the individuals impacted by this disease.

Paula: What drew you to the Teams Chair role?

Jann: I didn’t want to see teams raise $70,000 one year and then never participate again. That team could raise $70,000 every year. We can’t let them walk away!

I wanted to be in charge of building and maintaining relationships with our teams and ensuring that they return year after year. The more teams we retain, the more money we can raise for the fight against pancreatic cancer.

Two years ago, we had a new team that raised over $100,000. At the event, I walked over and spoke to the Team Captain, who is the daughter of a survivor. I asked her to please return the following year, no matter what. She promised she would – and she did! They’re back again this year too.

A lot of the relationship building with teams happens at the local level. We need volunteers who can nurture relationships.

I work closely with another top Team Captain and his wife. Together, we talk to the top 10 teams and ask them to commit to coming back. We’ve been doing this for two years and have retained our top teams.

Paula: We’re less than two months away from PurpleStride 2026. What are you most excited about?

Jann: I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to have a strong team again this year.

I’m looking forward to doing the same thing we always do. I want to raise more than $30,000 again. We raise between $30,000 and $40,000 a year. If you had told me before my husband died that I would be helping to raise that much money each year, I wouldn’t have believed it.

It’s gotten harder and harder to be one of the top three teams, which is great.

I want to be in the top three as a testament to David. It means that people remember him. I thought people would lose interest over time, but the people who supported us from the beginning still support us now.