Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month begins today, and Kelly’s Heroes is part of a worldwide campaign to change the trajectory of this deadly disease.
Pancreatic cancer has a five-year survival rate of just 10 percent, and it’s one of the few cancers where mortality rates continue to rise. Kelly’s Heroes joins with its fellow members of the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition to increase awareness of pancreatic cancer, its symptoms and risks and the importance of early detection. Catching it early is critical for survival. The five-year survival rate plunges to just 1 percent when the disease is diagnosed at stage 4 when it has spread to other organs.
The highlight of the month is Nov. 18 — World Pancreatic Cancer Day — and we hope you’ll join us in spreading awareness. Here are ways to help:
- Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at 1kellysheroes and share our information posts.
- Wear purple on Nov. 18 and post a photo of yourself on social media. Use the hashtags #KellysHeroesWPCD and #ItsAboutTime. Kerry McKean Kelly will make a donation to pancreatic cancer research for each photo you post.
- Go to www.worldpancreaticcancercoalition.org to learn more about pancreatic cancer and the global effort to increase survival.