New Name, Same Purple Power

Great news! An amended version of the Pancreatic Cancer Research & Education Act was marked-up and reported out of the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy & Commerce Committee of Congress on Tuesday. The House version is now called Recalcitrant Cancers Research Act (the bill number, H.R. 733, remains the same). Some terminology may be different, and some items have been omitted from the current version, most importantly, the bill still accomplishes our goal to create a long-term, comprehensive plan, or scientific framework, for pancreatic cancer.

You can take action now. Let your Members of Congress know how important this bill is in the fight against pancreatic cancer and that you want to see this legislation passed this year. To write to your member of Congress, go to www.pancan.org/takeaction.

Purple Power works, y'all!

Pancreatic Cancer on the Rise

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network release a report Tuesday called The Alarming Rise of Pancreatic Cancer Deaths in the United States: Why We Need to Stem the Tide Today. The alarming findings presented in the report include that pancreatic cancer is anticipated to move from the fourth to the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States by 2020, and possibly as early as 2015.

Both the pancreatic cancer incidence rate and death rate are increasing, and are expected to double between 2010 and 2030. Congress must pass the Pancreatic Cancer Research & Education Act so that a long-term, comprehensive plan is created to ensure that our limited federal resources target the areas of greatest need and potential for patient benefit and combat the increasing pancreatic cancer rates.

Please learn more at www.pancan.org/report

I'm Purple. Are You?

Find out at our Memphis Area Volunteers Meeting Tuesday, October 16 at 7pm at the Panera Bread meeting room in Cordova! Email me at sbynum@pancanvolunteer.org with your RSVP. Looking forward to seeing you in PURPLE.