One day we'll walk for a cure

The first time I experienced the impact of pancreatic cancer I was in high school—the mother of a close friend. It was when I realized it was "the bad one". The one that caused people to cringe when they heard it. The one that felt like one of the biggest and baddest of the monsters.

She was a pillar of the community. She had four beautiful children, a loving husband...the best house parties. She sang in the church choir. She mingled with strangers. She accepted each of her children's friends with open arms. She was one of the good ones—fighting "the bad one".

We said goodbye to her just months before we graduated.

In the years prior, and the years since, loved ones—and loved ones of loved ones—have faced wars with cancer. It feels too common. Too often it's "the good ones". It's never fair. But we have come a long way. With modern technology, increased awareness, and crowd-raised support, teams of doctors, researchers, nurses, and caregivers are working towards a cancer-free future. My partner's Aunt Lori was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. And you guessed it. She is a good one. A really good one. A pillar of her community. A teacher. Mom to three beautiful girls, a dedicated wife to a loving husband...host of the best house parties. Dedicated in her church community. Accepting each of her children's friends. A safe haven for all.

It took me a long time to accept how bad this bad one was. How hard of a battle she was fighting. Maybe I was ignorantly naive. Maybe I had somehow thought that almost 20 years later things would be different. Science would be different.

We said goodbye to her the day before Mother's Day.

This seems like a story without a happy ending, and perhaps in some ways it is. But it's also a story of hope.

This past week, I joined 2,000+ pancreatic cancer survivors, loved ones, caregivers, doctors, and more at the NYC Purple Stride hosted by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCan). My cousins rallied family, friends, and strangers for the past 7 months to raise money. In that, I was floored to learn that the survival rate of pancreatic cancer was 13%, up from 5%. This organization. the leading pancreatic cancer support organization only came into existence 25 years ago.

But there we were. Standing. Walking. Cheering. Remembering. Celebrating. More than $900.000 was raised in NYC alone, with more being raised nationwide this past weekend. Because those who have fought this monster don't want anyone else to have to. Those who love and loved brave warriors wish to protect others from the pain of loss, from suffering.

In college, I was part of the Penn State Dance Marathon, a student-led organization dedicated to raising funds for The Four Diamonds Fund at the Hershey Medical Center to benefit pediatric cancer support and research. Our mantra was "one day we'll dance in celebration, until then we dance for a cure." This weekend that rang in my ears. We will be back at Purple Stride next year. And every year. Because one day we will walk in celebration, but until then we will walk for a cure.