PHILADELPHIA (October 11, 2019) — Fox Chase Cancer Center is proud to support the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) for PurpleStride Philadelphia 2019. Fox Chase will walk alongside pancreatic cancer survivors, their loved ones, caregivers, and researchers on Saturday, November 2 to raise money for pancreatic cancer research and patient services.
The event is being held at Memorial Hall, Fairmount Park, 43 South Concourse Street. Opening ceremonies start at 7:15 a.m. and the 5K run/walk begins at 8:00 a.m.
Paul Campbell, PhD, assistant professor in the Cancer Biology Program at Fox Chase, is this year’s team leader and an honorary event co-chair. The clinicians, researchers, and staff on the Fox Chase team are affiliated with the center’s Marvin and Concetta Greenberg Pancreatic Cancer Institute, which was founded in 2017.
“PurpleStride gives those of us who are researchers the opportunity to interact with the global pancreatic cancer community as a whole,” Campbell said. “There are survivors, family members, and caregivers who have been affected by the disease. It brings together all these groups to celebrate successes and move toward better research, government advocacy, and most importantly, improved patient care.”
PurpleStride is PanCAN’s signature walk program, which raised approximately $14.9 million just in 2018. This year, more than 55 PurpleStride events will take place cross the country, which will aid in PanCAN’s mission to advance research and create hope for families facing this deadly disease. Although the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer was six percent in 2014, it has steadily increased to nine percent today – much due to the grassroots efforts by advocacy groups like PanCAN and the partnerships it builds within the health community.
For more information about Philadelphia PurpleStride 2019, to join the Fox Chase team, or to make a donation visit www.purplestride.org/philadelphia.