November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, and we’re waging hope with the help of local restaurants in Hightstown and East Windsor, N.J. In Our Dine Out for Early Detection event, just enjoy a great meal at participating restaurants, show our flier, and a portion of your dinner tab will be donated to Kelly’s Heroes to promote pancreatic cancer research.

[Download our Dine Out for Early Detection flier]

All proceeds will be devoted to research at academic medical centers working to develop an early detection test. Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death, with a five-year survival rate of just 9 percent. The chances of survival increase dramatically if the cancer is caught early, but unfortunately there is no reliable screening test for pancreatic cancer.

Following are the locations and dates of the generous, community-minded restaurants that are participating:

• Nov. 2, 5-9 p.m., 12 Farms, 120 N. Main Street, Hightstown
• Nov. 7, 7 a.m.-4 p.m., Byrnes Deli, 117 W. Ward Street, Hightstown
• Nov. 8, Charlie Browns, 60 Princeton-Hightstown Road, East Windsor
• Nov. 19, TGIFridays, 319 US Route 130, East Windsor

Kelly’s Heroes is an East Windsor-based 501c3 inspired by Steve Kelly, who participated in two clinical trials to advance pancreatic cancer research. His cancer fight provides a legacy of hope for others facing this deadly disease.

Kelly’s Heroes Teed Off! Golf Outing Oct. 16 raised more than $11,000 to support pancreatic cancer research, thanks to the generous support of golfers, sponsors, donors and others who continue to wage hope in Steve Kelly’s memory.

This year’s total, along with the 85 golfers, marks a new high for the Teed Off! Golf Outing, now in its third year at Mercer Oaks in Princeton Junction, N.J.

Congratulations to the winning foursome of Bob Sobkowiak, Charles Spencer, Mike Reardon and Rich Puntillo, along with Kelly’s Heroes Board member Rich Harbison who kept the tradition alive by winning Steve Kelly’s famous green jacket for coming closest to the pin on hole eight.

Thanks also to our Ace sponsors Blue Rock Construction and Pennsylvania Steel Co., along with Birdie sponsors Habib Law and Bob and Lauren Cottone, for their generous support.

Kelly’s Heroes’ is an all-volunteer organization, and 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit pancreatic cancer research led by Drs. Bert Vogelstein, Dung Le and Lei Zheng, Steve Kelly’s physician team at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, among the world’s preeminent cancer researchers.

There’s still time to register for Kelly’s Heroes 3rd Annual Teed Off! Golf Outing to Fight Pancreatic Cancer Oct. 17 at Mercer Oaks in Princeton Junction, N.J.

Proceeds from this event will benefit The Johns Hopkins Hospitals’ clinical research in immunotherapy and early detection and carry on Steve Kelly’s legacy of waging hope against pancreatic cancer.

Golfers will tee off at 9 a.m. for a shotgun start in a scramble format. Our foursomes will enjoy 18 holes, boxed lunch and beverages, prizes, a raffle and a post-match buffet with dinner and drinks, featuring guest speaker Bill Marimow, two-time Pulitzer prize-winning editor-at-large of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Thank you to our Ace Sponsors Blue Rock Construction and Pennsylvania Steel Co. for their generous support of this important cause.

Visit our Join Us page to download our registration form or sign up online via PayPal.

Kelly’s Heroes is excited to welcome Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bill Marimow, editor-at-large of the Philadelphia Inquirer, as the dinner speaker at the 3rd Annual Teed Off! Golf Outing Oct. 17 at Mercer Oaks in Princeton Junction, N.J. Proceeds from the event will fund clinical trials for pancreatic cancer patients.

Marimow is a two-time winner of journalism’s most coveted prize. Both of his Pulitzers were earned at the Inquirer, the first in 1978 for stories he wrote about criminal violence by Philadelphia police, and a second in 1985 for his investigation of the police K-9 unit. Marimow went on to serve as editor-in-chief at the Inquirer before moving on to become editor of the Baltimore Sun and vice president of news for National Public Radio. He returned to the Inquirer in 2012.

Marimow worked alongside Kelly’s Heroes’ inspiration Steve Kelly in the Inquirer’s legendary Broad Street newsroom. He was a compassionate colleague during Steve’s illness and is now a generous supporter of Kelly’s Heroes.

Marimow will be part of the post-golf dinner buffet starting around 4 p.m. in the Mercer Oaks Clubhouse. Golfers and sponsors will enjoy a full day of golf in a scramble format, with prizes, giveaways, a putting contest and more. Non-golfers are welcome to register for the dinner only, with raffle prizes and Bill Marimow’s keynote remarks. Go to our Join Us page to download the mail-in registration form, or register online using PayPal.

By Kerry McKean Kelly

If you’re not watching “First in Human,” you’re missing a beautiful ode to the human spirit.

“First in Human,” a three-part documentary airing on the Discovery Channel, tells the stories inside Building 10 at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. It’s there that people with rare and particularly insidious diseases go for help when all other medical treatments have failed them. They are human guinea pigs, eking out their last sparks of hope from cutting-edge treatments that have never before been tried in humans.

I watched the first episode chronicling the journeys of people with cancer, sickle cell disease and the rare Job syndrome in fascination at this amazing place with brave patients and smart, committed physicians and researchers. The second episode, out of nowhere, had me crying. It proved far too real for me after being a close witness to Steve’s fighting spirit through two clinical trials. Emotions rushed back through so many scenes from the documentary:

• Cancer patient Bo, a young athlete left pale, thin and with tubes and ports snaking out of the body that he had worked so hard to keep strong and healthy
• Deirdre, a 39-year-old with sickle cell disease, grimacing and shifting in her hospital bed as she quietly endured the pain wracking her body
• And adorable 7-year-old Lucy, whose mom and dad’s smiles served as a dam against what certainly must have been torrents of fear, grief and anger as their little girl endured countless invasive procedures for the autoimmune condition Job syndrome.

I recognized, too, the calm and reassuring physicians and researchers, always careful to offer hope without guarantees, always mindful that they operate in a realm where there is no prior experience and no certain answers.

As Steve’s cancer progressed, he had begun the very early stages of enrolling in a clinical trial at NIH. It was a last grasp at a cure – or at least a few more years of survival. In the end, it wasn’t to be. Enrollment of pancreatic cancer patients in that particular trial had been temporarily suspended, and very soon thereafter Steve’s condition had worsened to a point that he probably couldn’t have endured the treatments anyway.

As I watch “First in Human,” there are certainly some “what-ifs.” But yesterday’s what-ifs have no relevance today. Instead, I am left inspired by the spirit and passion of the patients and healthcare professionals inside Building 10. And I am reminded anew of the heroism of clinical trial participants, like Steve, whose legacy is hope.

Go to www.discovery.com for the latest episode and air dates of “First in Human.”

Registration is now open for the 3rd Annual Teed Off! Golf Outing Oct. 17 at Mercer Oaks in Princeton Junction, N.J. Click here for registration and sponsorship details.

Tee-off is at 9 a.m. in a four-man best ball scramble format. New to this year’s outing is a post-golf dinner buffet, with drinks, in the Mercer Oaks clubhouse. We’ll have prizes, giveaways, a silent auction and more — just as Steve Kelly would wish to be remembered. All proceeds benefit clinical trials for pancreatic patients at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. We hope you can join us.

T.J. Drahuschak of Florence and Rebecca Meehan of East Windsor are the recipients of the 2017 Kelly’s Heroes scholarships.

The scholarships are awarded each spring to a graduating senior at Notre Dame High School in Lawrence Township, N.J., and Hightstown High School who plans to serve others through studies in nursing or another healthcare field.

T.J. plans to study nursing at William Paterson University, and his route to nursing school started with tragedy. T.J. was injured in a harrowing car accident while driving to school in October 2015. With multiple traumatic injuries, he underwent numerous operations, spent weeks in an induced coma and underwent months of rehabilitation. T.J. said the care and support he received from his nursing team inspired him to help others in the same career.

Rebecca plans to study psychology at the University of Delaware. In addition to her academic achievements at Hightstown, Rebecca was a key player on the school’s field hockey team.

The Kelly’s Heroes Scholarship was created in 2016 in appreciation to the two school communities for their support during Steve Kelly’s battle with pancreatic cancer. “It’s a fitting tribute to Steve, who always appreciated the compassion, skill and good humor of his care team,” said his wife, Kerry McKean Kelly.

You can shop AND wage hope against pancreatic cancer by choosing Kelly’s Heroes as your preferred charity on Amazon Smile. Amazon Smile donates a portion of sales from select items to eligible nonprofit groups. Be sure to use the Amazon Smile site at https://smile.amazon.com/ to make your purchases count for good. Your donations to Kelly’s Heroes help us support clinical trials for pancreatic cancer patients.

Kelly’s Heroes will be among 40 pancreatic cancer advocacy groups from 20 nations attending the annual conference of the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition May 2-5 in Montreal. This global gathering of nonprofit organizations focuses on raising awareness and promoting improved treatments and early detection to increase pancreatic cancer survival rates. We’ll be sharing updates on Twitter (@1kellysheroes) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/1kellysheroes) so please follow and be part of it with us.

Thank you to everyone who made the 2^nd Annual Kelly’s Heroes St. Patrick’s Day a smashing success that raised $7,000 to advance the fight against pancreatic cancer.

A crowd of 120 people joined Kelly’s Heroes at the American Legion in East Windsor, N.J., March 18 for a celebration that included an Irish buffet, entertainment from the Denogla Ardmore School of Irish dance, DJ Brett Gash and an array of auction and raffle prizes including a week at a Jersey Shore beach condo.

It also was a party with a purpose – with proceeds benefitting pancreatic cancer clinical trials and scholarships for students from Notre Dame and Hightstown high schools who plan to pursue a healthcare career.

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death, noted Kelly’s Heroes’ board member Kerry Kelly.

“A person diagnosed today with pancreatic cancer has just a one-in-four chance of being alive next year on St. Patrick’s Day,” said Kelly. “That’s just not acceptable, and that’s why we’re here.”