Hirshberg Foundation 2012 Spring Newsletter

FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER 2012

FOUNDATION MISSION STATEMENT DIRECTORS & TRUSTEES

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Agi Hirshberg, President & Founder Lisa Manheim, Director Jon Hirshberg, Trustee Michael Berliner, Trustee Stephen C. Prince, CPA Michael Scott, ESQ

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD Vay Liang W. Go, MD, Chair Laszlo G. Boros, MD Murray Korc, MD Laurence J. Miller, MD Stephen J. Pandol, MD Howard A. Reber, MD Lee S. Rosen, MD Diane M. Simeone, MD

Photos of Symposium, LACC and Hirshberg Training Team: ADH Photography

Agi with our special guests: Douglas Carlson, Lindsey Miller, Sharon Perry, Michelle Hackbarth, Cliff Ebrahim

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Agi’s Message When it comes time to write our annual newsletter, I spend a lot of time thinking about how to convey the roller coaster of emotions that I feel each and every year. The joy of progress brings tears to my eyes, as evidenced when I introduced our speaker, Dr. Diane Simeone at our Symposium. When I said, “Diane is part of an NCI initiative- Early Detection Research Network whose goal is to identify early biomarkers for pancreatic cancer,� I choked up and had a hard time continuing. It took 15 years to hear that a committee now exists that focuses on early detection of pancreatic cancer. Tears come often, in good times and sad times, for all of us at the Foundation.

A quote from John Dunne, Meditation 17, has been sitting in my paper piles for years, but feels appropriate to share with you at this time. “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind�. We continue our quest, as promised, for answers - answers that we demand for pancreatic cancer patients and all of the families who wait for solutions.

This year began for us in January, with our 8th Annual Symposium. Held on the campus at UCLA where the Hirshberg Foundation supports one of the nation’s largest pancreatic cancer research programs, the event was again a huge success.

The invited speakers for the family session were acclaimed physicians who covered topics ranging from early detection screening to new drug therapies. Our new Hirshberg Seed Grant Recipient’s presentations added hope for the future, with novel, paradigm changing approaches to seeking the answers we demand. My heart jumped when I overheard talk about potential collaborations between the guest lecturers. It is in our “think-tank setting� where advances were born - like the saliva tests for early detection and the fructose studies that promote a healthy diet as a means of prevention of pancreatic cancer. At the end of the event, we were excited, encouraged and more focused than ever to help these dedicated, thoughtful and very bright researchers continue their important work and to continue providing a forum like our Symposium to

The most common factors that increase the risk of pancreatic cancer, which were not known when my late husband was diagnosed in 1997, are now common knowledge. They include (in no particular order) increasing age, Type 2 diabetes, smoking, obesity, high fat diet, lack of exercise and stress. My late

shocking, however, is the number of young persons, from

! ! ! ! who continue to get diagnosed, often without hereditary factors. In the past 15 years, I have witnessed many advances; new targeted drugs, better screenings, improved surgical techniques, but so many critical questions remain unanswered.

We have all certainly heard about the improved breast, prostate and lung cancer survival rates and new treatments coming to market. These improvements can be attributed to early detection tools, a wide range of therapies, public awareness and private research funding. It is now a statistical fact that by the year 2020, pancreatic cancer will be the leading cause of cancer related deaths, as the current leaders (breast and prostate cancers) are slowly but steadily on the decline.

This is sobering news for all of us. But for the Foundation, it is a wake-up call to continue our relentless effort to fund novel, promising research, and most importantly, to help patients achieve better outcomes than the current statistics indicate.

Everything we read says the odds are against us. That is why

that have left us.

Our work cannot continue without you, our dedicated supporters! I am eternally thankful to so many families, who year after year, raise funds by supporting the events that you will read about in the pages that follow. All of us committed to our mission know that we cannot change the past, cannot bring back our loved ones, and

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the shocking pain families experience with a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. We will make a difference for future generations, because we all care.

To my extended Foundation family, I am grateful we are working together and I look forward to updating you with the progress made possible with your assistance and contributions.

Agi

APA Meeting Awards the Finest

by Agi Hirshberg

The 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Pancreatic Association (APA), held in Chicago this past November, had a record high attendance of 425 registrants with 265 research abstracts submitted for presentation.

The Hirshberg Foundation, a longtime supporter of the APA, sponsored the Keynote Symposium and

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% presentations during the national meeting. The APA is a membership organization for physicians and researchers interested in the diseases of the exocrine pancreas.

Agi (center) with Drs. Stefan Fritz, Ashok K. Saluja, Lidong Wang, Diane Simeone

The Hirshberg Keynote Symposium, entitled “Pancreatic Cancer from Genomics to Clinical Applications� was presented by Elaine Mardis, PhD, Washington University and Anirban Maitra, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine.

At the conclusion of the meetings we presented the Hirshberg Award for Best Clinical Abstracts in Pancreatic Cancer to Lidong Wang, PhD, University of Michigan. The award for Best Basic Science Abstract was presented to Stefan Fritz, MD, University of Heidelberg. Awardees were selected by the governing board of the APA. The Hirshberg Foundation is grateful to the APA and the members of the medical community that we befriend, as they help us suggest the best treatment centers for our patients, both nationally and internationally.

Drs. Elaine Mardis, Ashok K. Saluja, Anirban Maitra, Diane Simeone

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UCLA Center for Pancreatic Diseases The Hirshberg Foundation’s relationship with the UCLA team began in 1998, when the

under the direction of Howard A. Reber, MD, Department of Surgery.

In the past 14 years the research programs we have supported have achieved national recognition as a Center of Excellence. We are proud of the 25 million dollars in NIH grant funding, awarded to our UCLA team of researchers and physicians for pancreatic cancer. ' * !

complex structure of the extensive collaboration between the research and clinical efforts.

In addition to our core funding of programs at UCLA, our Seed Grant Program, started

+ sion nationwide. Over the years we have funded 44 start-up grants to new investigators from prestigious universities. It is the Seed Grant program that promotes collaboration between researchers from different areas of training and expertise and encourages young investigators to join our efforts. Current NIH support for our Seed Grant recipients is estimated to be 20 million dollars. The Foundation also supports the annual meeting of the American Pancreatic Association and the Agi Hirshberg Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer and other academic national and international society meetings related to pancreatic cancer.

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Director:

% #' # Surgery Gastroenterology Radiology Internal Medicine Medical Oncology Surgical Oncology

Associate Director: Scientific Director: UCLA Hirshberg Professorship:

Howard A. Reber, MD O. Joe Hines, MD Guido Eibl, MD

Enrique Rozengurt, PhD

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Principal Investigator: Vay Liang W . Go, MD

Executive Committee:

Transplantation Radiation Oncology Nursing

Vay Liang W. Go, MD Wai-Nang Paul Lee, MD Stephen J. Pandol, MD

Pathology

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$" Surgery: Gastroenterology: Medical Oncology: Translational Imaging: Pathology:

Timothy Donahue, MD James Farrell, MD Richard Finn, MD Johannes Czernin, MD David Dawson, MD, PhD

TRANS

L AT I O N A L R E S E A R C H

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Agi Hirshberg Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer Vay Liang W. Go, MD UCLA Department of Medicine

The Eighth Annual Agi Hirshberg Symposium for Pancreatic Cancer – a think tank for pancreatic cancer research being conducted across the nation – was held January 31, 2012 at the UCLA Faculty Center. Originally created to encourage collaboration between clinicians, researchers and physicians as well as to educate patients and their families, this year’s Symposium was the most successful to date.

The Agi Hirshberg Symposium is supported by unrestricted educational grants from:

The morning’s Medical Session began with six Foundation Seed Grant Program recipients presenting new strategies in management for pancreatic cancer.

This was followed by a luncheon, where patients sat alongside physicians and researchers in an intimate casual setting. After lunch, the speakers at the Patient and Family Session discussed topics including Research and Surgery, Palliative Care and the GI Process for Pancreatic Cancer. We were honored to have Dr. Diane Simeone, Dr. Melbern Wilcox, Dr. Thomas Strouse and Dr. Charles Brunicardi deliver their informative presentations and answer questions from the audience. We ended our session with small group discussions led by specialists from the Cancer Legal Resource Center and UCLA Cancer Genetics Program.

To view the complete presentation, including slide shows and videos, please visit the Symposium 2012 page on our website.

Agi with our Seed Grant Recipients, Drs. Yung-Ya Lin, Andrea Bullock, Stephen Kendall, Emmanuelle Meuillet, David Gius, and Pamela Itkin-Ansari

Symposium: Medical Session Briefs Sirt2 Regulation of KRAS is an Early Event in Pancreas Carcinogenesis David Gius, MD, PhD Vanderbilt Medical School

Mitogenic Signaling After Loss of the Tumor Suppressor Genes BRCA1 or BRCA2 in Pancreatic Cancer Andrea Bullock, MD Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Using GeneticallyEngineered Mouse Models to Evaluate the Role of Macrophages in Pancreatic Tumorigenesis Stephen Kendall, MD Duke University Medical Center

Mechanistic and Translational ( ) * ++ / Response in Pancreatic Cancer: Towards the Development of a Novel Therapeutic Approach for the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer Emmanuelle Meuillet, PhD The University of Arizona Cancer Center

Medical Session Briefs Restoring Balance to the bHLH/Id3 Axis as a Potential Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer Pamela Itkin-Ansari, PhD University of California, San Diego

An Integrated, Synergistic Approach for Early Detection and Targeted Therapy of Pancreatic Cancers

by Magnetic Resonance Molecular Imaging and Nano Medicine Yung-Ya Lin, PhD University of California, Los Angeles

To view the complete presentation, including slide shows and videos, please visit the Symposium 2012 page on our website.

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Symposium: Patient & Family Session

Personalized Targeted Therapies for Pancreas Cancer F. Charles Brunicardi, MD, F.A.C.S. UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center

Personalized genomic medicine represents a new approach to health care that customizes patients’ medical treatment according to their own genomic information. This new approach is the result of our increased knowledge of the human genome and can be applied by physicians in the management of their patients. A patient’s genotype can yield important information concerning disease and the effectiveness of medications, therefore,

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ment therapies. This presentation summarizes major achievements of human genomic studies and applications of genomics in health care.

Our team developed a model for the development of personalized genomic medicine in

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PDX-1, a transcription factor found within normal human pancreatic cells, has been demonstrated to play a crucial role in the regulation of insulin secretion within the islet cells of the pancreas. Our recent studies have shown that PDX-1 is overexpressed in many types of human cancers including that of the pancreas, liver, prostate, kidney, breast and colon.

Our research team has subsequently proven that PDX-1 contributes to cancer growth and that silencing of PDX-1 ablates human pancreas cancer cells in a mouse model.

We also now have a better understanding of the role of PDX-1 in cancer and its potential as a target for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

In this presentation, a targeted therapy for pancreas cancer, RNA interference therapy, was discussed. Bi-functional RNA interference therapy targeting a protein named PDX-1 utilizing systemic liposome delivery was studied in mouse models of pancreatic cancer, since human pancreatic cancer specimens strongly stained positive for PDX-1 expression. Three cycles of bi-functional RNA interference therapy targeting PDX-1 administered intravenously resulted in near complete ablation of pancreas cancer tumor volume and considerably improved survival in a human pancreas cancer implanted mouse model.

These data support the clinical development of a novel targeted therapy for pancreas cancer expressing PDX-1 using RNA interference.

Symposium: Patient & Family Session Targeting Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells Diane Simeone, MD University of Michigan

Pancreatic cancer remains one /

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developments in our understanding of pancreatic cancer biology have occurred over the past decade. One of the key advances has been the formulation of the cancer stem cell model of tumor growth and subsequent experimental proof of pancreatic cancer stem cell existence. Cancer stem cells contribute to pancreatic tumor growth and progression and are at least partially responsible for the relative resistance of the tumor to systemic chemotherapy and radiation. $

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normal pancreatic developmental pathways contribute to pancreatic cancer stem cell biology. This presentation focused on these key concepts and work that is underway that will provide insights into these questions, with a goal of yielding new, more effective therapeutic approaches for this deadly disease.

The Doc Said I Needed One of Those Scope Tests C. Melbern Wilcox, MD University of Alabama at Birmingham

Endoscopic management plays a key role in the diagnosis, staging and palliation of pancreatic cancer. For some time, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has been the dominant endoscopic technique used in the management of these patients. At the time of ERCP, the bile duct is accessed with a small catheter and an x-ray is obtained. Over this wire, the stricture is sampled with either a brush or a biopsy forcep for diagnosis. One can also place either a plastic or metallic stent through the stricture depending on the patient’s overall status including expected survival, performance status, and whether the patient may undergo surgical therapy. The new kid on the block is endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS). This technique has been around for some two decades but increasingly has been recognized as a safe and highly effective diagnostic and staging tool for pancreatic mass lesions. At the time of EUS, a pancreatic mass lesion can

' / !! ! be passed into the mass lesion and an aspirate obtained.

Generally at that same setting, the aspirate is placed on a microscope slide and evaluated by a cytopathologist.

Thus, a diagnosis of cancer may be established at the time of EUS. At the time of EUS, celiac plexus blockade can be provided as pain relief for some patients with severe abdominal pain. Adenopathy or metastatic disease to the liver can also be seen during EUS and biopsies safely

obtained. Depending on the Center, if EUS is performed and the staging done, then, in the jaundiced patient, an appropriate bile duct stent can be placed. Such endo

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technology will undoubtedly become available.

Symptom Management During Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer Thomas Strouse, MD University of California, Los Angeles

Patients undergoing cancer treat/ +

“symptom burden� including pain, fatigue, nausea, constipation/diarrhea, dry mouth, and emotional symptoms. Pancreatic cancer and its treatment impose many of these burdens, with often distinct patterns of

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! symptoms caused by the disease being treated from the side effects of treatments, effective relief is often available. '

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about optimal approaches to managing symptoms associated with pancreatic cancer, and how to sequence them.

Often patients, their families, and their oncologists are so engaged with the logistics of complex treatments for the cancer that there is little time or energy for optimal attention to the management of burdensome symptoms.

But effective symptom management can have

well-being, and quality of life.

Genetic Counseling & Pancreatic Cancer Erin O’Leary, MS, CGC Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA

Pancreatic cancer can be hereditary, meaning the risk can be passed from parent to child.

This happens when inherited changes called gene mutations are present in the family. Currently, there is no known “pancreatic cancer gene�. Familial pancreatic cancer is a term used for families with two closely related relatives with pancreatic cancer. There are some known cancer genetic syndromes associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. For example, the “breast cancer genes� BRCA1 and BRCA2, increase the risk mainly for breast and ovarian cancer, but can also increase the risk for pancreatic cancer.

Being aware of your family history is important for learning about your cancer risk. A genetic counselor can help families better understand the family history of pancreatic cancer and what it means for patients and their relatives. Currently, there is not recommended screening for pancreatic cancer, but many Centers including UCLA perform certain surveillance in high risk families. There are ongoing studies nationally to research other possible genetic causes as well as effective screening tools.

To learn more about genetic counseling and risk assessment at UCLA, please contact Erin O’Leary, MS, CGC at eoleary@mednet.ucla.edu.

There are state of the art treatments for many common symptoms associated with pancreatic malignancies.

The goal of my lecture was to help patients and families expand their knowledge of symptom management in order to work effectively with their treatment teams towards the goal of optimal well being during and after treatment.

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Doctor In the Spotlight

Stephen Pandol, MD

4 EDUCATION: HOBBIES:

% + ! 5 6 7 7 BS in biochemistry-University of California, Davis; MD in medicine-Saint Louis University Wine making

MOST VALUABLE THING YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE LAB SO FAR: Although I grew up on a farm that produced fruits and vegetables in Central California, once I entered college I rapidly took an interest in the sciences, leading me to a career in medicine and biomedical research. One valuable lesson I have learned in my career is that /

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/ pancreatic cancer comes from an internal optimism and determination that a solution will come. I have become more convinced that solutions will come only with a collaborative team effort of talented researchers, each with important and complimentary talents to lend considering that the development of the disease is due to a complex interplay of biological pathways involved-only a fraction of these are known. Finally and importantly, we are coming to realize that a major underlying factor in promoting cancer relates to our diets and the food we eat. This is taking me back to my agricultural roots and asking how we can improve our diets to somehow prevent cancer.

NOTABLE QUOTE:

Dr. Charles Code who became my mentor and friend during my early years used to tell me repeatedly when I became frustrated, “Steve, nature doesn’t give up its secrets easily.� % & $ % & TM

Doctor In the Spotlight

Diane Simeone, MD # # 4

BORN & RAISED: EDUCATION:

MARRIED TO:

CHILDREN: HOBBIES:

8 9 " 6 7 of Surgery and Physiology, Director of the Pancreatic Tumor Program, University of Michigan Rhode Island Undergraduate -Brown University; Medical School - Duke University; Surgery Residency - University of Michigan Dr. Theodore Welling (also a surgeon at University of Michigan) Samuel, age 13; Amelia, age 8 backpacking, jogging, basketball (played in college), pickling (have a large garden and throw an annual pickling party); helping to coach my daughter’s sports teams

MOST VALUABLE THING YOU HAVE LEARNED SO FAR: I am a surgeon scientist who has always been intrigued by the wonder of the workings of the human body. Surgery always had a tremendous appeal to me- to open the black + + ! /

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unique relationship with a patient that is deeply embed-

honor to care for patients. I became acquainted with

ded in trust.

pancreatic cancer during my surgery residency where I enjoyed the challenges of pancreatic surgery but felt that there was a tremendous need to improve our understanding of pancreatic cancer to treat it more effectively. I have dedicated my career to that goal. The pancreatic cancer research community is a small but closely knit group of individuals dedicated to the same mission. I am very lucky to be able to interact with Agi Hirshberg and the wonder ! <

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Board Member. We all need to work together to do our part to combat pancreatic cancer.

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Volunteer In the Spotlight

Teri Hughes My dad, Paul Hughes, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April, 2000. He passed away less than three months later.

At 68 my dad lived a healthy life, ate well, swam, played basketball and was very active, even up until his diagnosis. We were in shock when they told us this was Stage IV with metastases in his liver. He ended up transferring his care to UCLA where we found that surgery was not an option â&#x20AC;&#x201C; only chemotherapy. He had four rounds of chemotherapy, but the tumors only ended up doubling.

I became a different person. I was mad and angry! I met with Agi Hirshberg and immediately felt a connection. I jumped in with my whole heart and would do ANYTHING they needed help with. Volunteering became my therapy and passion. Early on I was actively involved with the then-annual golf tournament, and every year since I have been in charge of the Chance Drawing Booth at the LA Cancer Challenge. This is one of the best weekends of the year for me. At the end of the day my blood is pumping as I go up onto the stage and announce the

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and sadness, tears and laughter as I watch thousands of people come together to honor and remember those who have been touched by this horrible disease.

The physicians, patients, friends and families that participate are all there together working towards the common goal of the cure! Volunteering is my way of being a part of this battle. The absolute best thing about feeling connected with the Hirshberg Foundation family is the love and support that I receive.

I appreciate the support the Hirshberg Foundation gives back to me and thousands of others, like myself, who want to do more. As I said before, volunteering has become my therapy.

Spending time with others who have been touched by

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I am committed to doing whatever the Foundation needs

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cancer!!!

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Patient In the Spotlight

Doug Carlson The weekend started as most weekends did in February of 2010, with getting up early and

But unfortunately on this day I became ill once out on the lake with what my wife Barbie and I thought might be food poisoning. I struggled, became extremely ill and had to return home. With the weeks that followed my appetite went up and down as did my weight. Concern started to enter both our minds so we made an appointment with my family doctor. The usual tests were run but nothing could tell us what was going on with my health or why I was in so much pain. Eventually we were referred to Dr. Howard Reber. By this time I had lost almost 46 pounds off of my 5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;9â&#x20AC;? frame. Once through the UCLA doors

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what is going on with my health?

After meeting Dr. Reber and his team we knew we were among the best of the best!

The endoscopic ultrasounds showed that there was a cancerous tumor blocking the pancreatic duct that caused extreme pain and in turn prevented me from eating and drinking as one would normally do. With this news the â&#x20AC;&#x153;teamâ&#x20AC;? met and surgery was set for August 11, 2010. The night before surgery we drove down from Ventura with my parents and stayed on campus. After six hours in surgery, Dr. Reber came out to tell / / ! Z ! !!

/ family members and Barbie could breathe, once again.

In January of 2011 my oncologist, Dr. William Isacoff, called to inform us that the cancer had spread to my peritoneum (the lining of my stomach), surgery was not an option and that I needed to begin chemotherapy treatments. I started a pill !! % $ / /

treatment.

It was soon after that when we got in touch with the Hirshberg Foundation to set up a visit to the Hirshberg Laboratory at UCLA and spoke more about different treatment options, clinical trials, patient and family support information and also how we might be able to help in the future. In October of this past year I was invited by the Hirshberg Foundation to be

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were impressed with the organization, the warmth of all, the booths, costumes and more! To add to the excitement I was also asked to share my story for the Foundation that would be broadcast on their website. Most recently my family and I participated in the 8th Annual Agi Hirshberg Symposium at UCLA where we were able to listen to, ask questions and chat with the guest speakers (and new found friends). I was able to meet other survivors at the Symposium which was the icing on my cake! Speaking of desserts, there were some yummy treats after the great lunch that was provided for us. It was quite an inspirational day.

Because we have been inspired by the Hirshberg Foun

I want to be able to reach out to the community and help educate them on what pancreatic cancer is and on ways others can Help. On December 12, 2011 an article was published on my story as a Bass Fisherman in the Ventura County Star. Please go to VCStar.com and log on to that date and you will be able to see a short video with me as the narrator. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s well worth the time. We are in the beginning stages of getting a website up and running for our upcoming June event in Ventura, California called Fishing For A Cure. If you would like more information, please email me at douglas_carlson@att.net.

God Bless and Take Care, Doug and Barbie

Events Spotlight

pancreatic cancer. These events are planned by dedicated individuals who want to honor or memorialize

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recent events to highlight as they show the vastly different ways people are making a difference. We are grateful

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a fundraising event, visit our website and click on How You Can Help.

After going through such a devastating experience, all three of us, Colleen, Melinda and Abigail, made the decision to dedicate our senior project to raising

We started our planning at the beginning of our senior year.

We decided to put on a dance as a way of raising money for our project. The name we chose was â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dance For A Cureâ&#x20AC;?.

We scheduled the dance for Saturday, November 18th, 2011 in the high school gym. We secured a DJ, booked our security, and started making posters.

From left to right - Colleen Perks, Mindy Kolesar, Abbey Houston

Dance For A Cure

By Abigail Houston, Colleen Perks, & Melinda Kolesar

Every year at the West Branch Area Senior High School in Morrisdale, PA, students are asked to design, plan, and implement a Senior Project. When it was our turn to propose a project, we knew that

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!! !! !! touched by cancer. After our initial meeting, it was clear to all three of us what type of cancer we wanted to focus on.

In the summer of 2010, Abigailâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Uncle William â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wilburâ&#x20AC;?

Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Abigail was

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ble disease. At only 54 years old, Uncle Wilbur, a sweet, caring, loving man, always full of life, lost his battle with cancer six weeks after his diagnosis. He fought until the very end. The twinkle in those Irish eyes will never be forgotten.

We pre-sold tickets for the dance and, when selling the tickets, we also had bracelets for sale. We also mailed out letters to individuals and businesses. If a business or individual donated $25 or more, their name would be written on our t-shirts which were given to students, parents, teachers, and community members. The actual night of the dance, we sold drinks, pizza, baked goods, and snacks. Businesses and individuals also donated items to be chanced off the night of the event.

We decorated our high school gym with purple and white balloons. Most of the students who were present purchased a t-shirt and wore it in honor of all pancreatic cancer patients.

The night was a huge success.

Everyone that attended showed so much support and danced the night away for our amazing cause. We could certainly feel that Uncle Wilbur was there looking down on us, smiling upon us with those dimples. We felt blessed that we were able to raise $2,485.65 for the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research.

In Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s memory, I organized a Poker Ride to raise awareness and money for pancreatic cancer research.

We had a beautiful day in Arizona! More than sixty people participated - all so patient and willing to help.

It was so special to see people that loved John come together and smile againâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;not because of the loss, but because of who he was. He always made people laugh, and at our event, even though it was hard not to have John physically with us, everyone was smiling and having a great time.

John V. Taylor Poker Ride

By Linda Taylor Born on March 31, 1959 in San Jose California, John Taylor was a lover of life. His charismatic soul made him a person to love. He wore cowboy boots, always, even in the hot Arizona summers. He was a chef, loved to eat and would soak for hours in the pool. He created his own man cave - for himself, his Harley and his friends â&#x20AC;&#x153;to hang out in.â&#x20AC;? Alone or with friends, he said riding his Harley was the best - having the wind on his face, the time for his thoughts and the freedom it gave. I met John in 1994 and we married on July 4, 1997 in Tombstone AZ. It was, as I always told John, the happiest day of my life.

John was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on April 17, 2008.

There were no warning signs. You wake up one morning and

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thought he had hepatitis. They ran some more tests and did a CT scan, and found pancreatic cancer. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never forget that day. We were sitting on the couch and John took the call from our doctor. He knew when he took the call that it was not a good thing. That is strength.

That is how John continued to deal with the next 29 monthsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; with strength, hope, perseverance and always a positive outlook. He ruled his disease up until the afternoon it won.

He always kept his quality of life. John was an inspiration

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cancer took Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life on September 19, 2010, but not before going out the night before and enjoying a wonderful Italian dinner with our dear friends.

We had several people participate who didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know John. One that touched my heart the most was an older couple. She was diagnosed 13 months previously with pancreatic cancer. The day before our event he told me she wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t having a good day, but she knew there was an event to support research that she didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to miss. She told her husband they were going to participate and even though I could tell she wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t well, she showed up wearing all purple and had a smile on her face. You could see it was something she needed to do. I gave her a hug and a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pancreatic Cancer Sucksâ&#x20AC;? button. After they left to get on their bike I had to take a break. That was strength!

We had a few other riders show up that we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know, but they just wanted to ride because pancreatic cancer had touched their lives one way or another. They thanked us and ! / ! : ' Â&#x20AC; Â&#x201A; ' ! Z

raised $3600.25 (I believe the $0.25 was from my grandson) for the Hirshberg Foundation.

I wanted to end this story with a note we received after our event and the lesson I learned from putting this together:

â&#x20AC;&#x153;To All: Yesterday when I woke I did not % &

and talking with some of Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friends, I '

to the cause and it will be in my heart from this day forward. I want to thank you all for allowing me to be present and hope to be more involved with each passing year. Again, my thanks!!!!!â&#x20AC;?

What I learned overall was this: We started a message.

Besides raising money, we opened peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes to pancreatic cancer and the need to put it in the spotlight.

I have a small understanding of what the Hirshberg Foundation started and feel blessed that our event can be a Â&#x20AC; ! / ! / soul mate. I miss you every second of every minute, of every hour of every day. Thank you for giving me the best time of my life.

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Events Spotlight, conâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t and friends whose lives have been cut short by pancreatic cancer. Participants wore shirts printed with pictures of their departed loved ones, while others brought photos and other mementos to share. Everyone completed the walk, and no injuries occurred!

Peds For Purple

By Barbara Krippel

Bolstered by the encouraging turnout, the 2nd Annual Peds For Purple Pancreatic Cancer Walk has already been scheduled for Saturday, November 3, 2012 and we have already begun our organizing efforts to increase both awareness and donations.

The Pursuit of Wellness 5K Walk/Run

By Mullainy Fine

Walk took place on the early morning of November 5, 2011 in Southern New Jersey.

Thirty-two participants took a 5K stroll around Pennsaukenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cooper River Park amid crisp temperatures, fall foliage and sunny skies. The goal of our fundraiser is to call attention to the need for funding research and treatment of pancreatic cancer and to honor the memory of my mother Margaret Davison, who succumbed to pancreatic cancer in 2003.

The Pursuit of Wellness 5K Walk/Run was created in memory of my grandmother, Carol Vail. My grandmother Carol was one of the most caring and loving individuals that I have ever known. She was, and still is, an inspiration to me with her constant positive attitude and unwavering strength. She touched the hearts of every single person she ever came in contact with. Her love is irreplaceable.

The overall experience of putting this event on was amazing!

There is no greater reward than knowing that you have not only put together an event in memory of a deserving woman

Our efforts were rewarded as the walkers and event organizers, Barbara Krippel, Marjorie Swingle and Elizabeth Johnson helped raise more than $1,100 for the Hirshberg Foundation  # Z <

ages, snacks and a 50/50 drawing, the participants were well prepared to embark on their walk, all for a great cause.

Some walked for the personal reason to honor the loved ones that they had lost to this disease, accompanied by supportive spouses or friends.

To further emphasize the far reaching affects of pancreatic cancer, a somber moment at the beginning of the walk was taken to remember those relatives

and in honor of such a worthy cause, but that you have also

/ / ] year, the Pursuit of Wellness raised $3,300 through race Â&#x2020;

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within our community. We chose to have the proceeds go to the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research because of its dedication to the cure. The Foundation is very personable, welcoming, and understanding. We felt that we could truly make a connection with everyone working at the <

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pancreatic cancer and to save lives that need not be lost. Its dedication is an inspiration.

The Pursuit of Wellness not only raised funds for

( ly successful in raising awareness about pancreatic cancer. Many citizens of the surrounding community had little to no knowledge about this form of cancer before the Pursuit of Wellness took place. We have had countless people in the community approach us volunteering their time and efforts to help organize this event. Through this event, we have met other individuals that have been personally affected by pancreatic cancer and have developed great friendships with them as a result.

We cannot wait to organize the Second Annual Pursuit of Wellness which will take place on June 2, 2012 at Riley Rink at Hunter Park in Manchester Center, VT!

Kevin Miya Golf Classic

By Gary Silvanic Since its inception in 2008, the Kevin Miya Golf Classic has raised over $15,000 for the Hirshberg Foundation! I am honored, as Kevinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cousin and friend, to organize this event in his memory.

Kevin Miya was a Professional Civil Engineer for the City of Pittsburg who passed away on February 25, 2008 at the age of 37. Kevin, who began working for the City of Pittsburg in the spring of 2003, joined with others in transforming several areas of the city, including Old Town

and the Marina. In doing so, he created a legacy of work

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to come. According to Kevinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s colleagues, his work ethic, combined with his attentiveness and a positive â&#x20AC;&#x153;can doâ&#x20AC;? attitude, contributed to the success of his projects and earned him much respect and admiration.

Kevinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approach to his personal life exhibited the same sense of care with which he approached his work, allowing him to balance his personal and working lives in a way that kept him involved with friends and family. What

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way that let others know he was someone they could turn to when they needed to be supported, without being judged. Gina Haynes, a fellow co-worker of Kevinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s,

also shared that Kevin was quick to listen to public issues and concerns, and that members of the community would show up to community council meetings just to thank him for his efforts on their behalf.

Kevinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family and friends keep his memory alive by having a golf tournament in his name each year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The event is amazing to participate in and is a pleasure to host each year,â&#x20AC;? says a co-worker of Kevinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has been an honor for us to help spread awareness in Pittsburg.â&#x20AC;?

For more information about the Kevin Miya Golf Classic, please contact: silvanic@pacbell.net

HOST YOUR OWN EVENT AND GET OTHERS INVOLVED! Organize a fundraising event in your community â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from a dinner party or poker night to a golf tournament or run/walk â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and plan for all the proceeds to HELP find a cure!

Visit pancreatic.org to learn more.

Events Spotlight, conâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t

The Richard Grana Golf Tournament

By Roseanne Grana

My husband Richard died of pancreatic cancer on September 22, 2009. We remember Richard best when he was playing golfâ&#x20AC;Ś !"#$

% ' memory, we decided that a golf tournament was the best way we can remember him.

Originally, the tournament was going to be an opportunity for friends and family to get together to remember Richard while contributing to a good cause. But it has become much more than thatâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;it has become an annual fundraiser for pancreatic cancer research. It is also a setting where we are able to educate and spread awareness regarding the relentlessness of the disease and how ill prepared we are to treat it.

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pancreatic cancer.

I want our participants to know that their donations will / :

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disease. The golf tournament is held at the Shadow Pines Golf Club in Rochester, NY since that was one of Richardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite ] ! Â&#x2020;

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guests enjoyed lunch and dinner. We were fortunate to also

! ! !! Â&#x2020; : ! ever possible. The event brought in very generous donations throughout the entire day.

My son David, my mom and I have planned the past two golf / / Â&#x201A;Â / :

/ / / helps secure donations and increase community support, and David organizes and directs the event. Putting this event together has been a meaningful experience for us and that is why it has become an annual event. It takes an ever-increasing amount of work to make the event grow year after year, but we continue to gain more and more volunteers and participants each year as well.

The 3rd Annual Richard Grana Golf Tournament will be held on July 21, 2012. This year we have received our local senatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support, so weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re hoping to draw in an even greater amount of participation.

You Can H.E.L.P. Funds At the Hirshberg Foundation, our motto is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;You Can Hope or You Can Help.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; We are asking for you to HELP. Here on this site, we provide you with the tools to kickoff your own You Can H.E.L.P. Fund. Your Fund is a way for you to

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support our relentless pursuit of a cure.

was so clear and easy to understand. I / !

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heard back within hours. I felt like I had made a connection and in some way, my

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You Can Help Fund on their website in honor of my dad. I knew that this was where I wanted donations to be sent. I : / / /

some good out of his bad diagnosis and am currently working with my daughter on hosting three events this year - all

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UNCONDITIONAL Fund: In Memory of Ken McCleary

By Lyndsey McCleary Schroeder

I found the Hirshberg Foundation website while searching for information about signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer.

I clicked on their link and began looking at their site. The information provided

Ken McCleary, my dad, was twelve days from his 44th birthday on November 1, 2007. A happy, fun-loving, open armed, funny, healthy and hardworking man, he enjoyed his time mostly surrounded by family and good friends. After several days in the hospital with unexplained stomach and back pain, the doctors told us the news. This healthy, wonderful man that we all adored had pancreatic cancer, and so aggressively that it had already spread to his lungs, his liver, and his lymph nodes. Stage 4 and terminal. Inoperable and not likely to respond to any other methods of medications or treatment, the doctors gave him 3-4 weeks left of life.

Hearing that his time was now limited,

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taken home with his family (whom he made promise to try not to cry), friends (more than just the two at a time most hospitals let in), football (a diehard Lions Fan), good food (that he pretended to be hungry for), and most of all, his birthday on November 13th. With our now crunched time to have him close, we watched football, laughed, loved, and smiled in his presence. But with our backs turned, we all cried and ached for the man we all knew was each day looking worse than he had the day before. Any time Dad would catch us with tears in our eyes, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d say â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know why everyone is crying, you all only have to miss one guy. I have to miss ALL of you.â&#x20AC;? Of course, he said it with a smile. He always had a way of trying to make things easier by joking.

And of course, frequently asking what we planned on doing for his upcoming birthday, because according to Dad... you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a birthDAY, you have a birthMONTH.

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You Can H.E.L.P. Funds One afternoon, my mom reluctantly left the house for the grocery store.

There were few things that my dad would actually eat or drink, so she made sure she had whatever he wanted available. The second he heard the garage door close, my dad looked me right in the eye and said

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I need a favorâ&#x20AC;?. Of course I told him, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Anything.â&#x20AC;? Big blue eyes staring directly into my watery green ones said â&#x20AC;&#x153;I need you to make something good happen from this thing. It canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be all bad. And donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be all sad all the time, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like that. Can you promise me that one favor?â&#x20AC;? Loving him even more than I thought possible, I could only nod. He couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have asked me for anything harder. But a promise is a promise. % [[ / <

he was home, he awoke from sleep, not himself. Always within speaking distance, and mostly by his bedside, my mom and I knew something was wrong. This was the moment we had secretly been hoping would never / < / / ted he was in pain and let it show by the tears in his eyes. My mom and I were watching the strong, healthy,

worryless man we idolized become weak, vulnerable, and critically ill. !! / !/ lie on the couch and looked at each other while we watched his breathing deteriorate and his face wince in pain. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It hurts. Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t breathe.â&#x20AC;? was all he could get out. My mom told him how much he meant to her and how much she loved him, and I smiled at him and told him I loved him. And then I told him the biggest lie Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever told. I told him that we would be okay without him if he was

I told him that we would all learn how to continue in our days, learning from all the things he had already taught us. I told him it was okay to let go, that we understood and didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want him to hurt anymore.

He listened while I lied, looked at my mom who tearfully nodded, and mumbled something quietly....â&#x20AC;?I love you both.â&#x20AC;? At 11:15pm, he took his one last breath and my hand on his chest felt that one last heartbeat. Just eight days after his diagnosis, my dad lost his battle. It was November 9th, four days shy of the birthday he so badly wanted to celebrate one last time.

In place of a birthday party that November 13th, we held a funeral.

At the wake, I made a promise to my dad and everyone there that loved him that we would never forget him, that we would always use November as Kennyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;BirthMONTHâ&#x20AC;?.

So Unconditional was born. The name, because it just is the best one to describe him. An open armed, always forgiving, inviting man to everything and everyone. Family, friend, foe, child, adult, co-worker, or stranger - it never mattered to him who you were, he just wanted you to feel comfortable around him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unconditionalâ&#x20AC;? seemed the only

!

would be put on in his memory. So to start, every year we hold â&#x20AC;&#x153;UNCONDITIONAL Birthdays.â&#x20AC;? November to honor Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, a never forgotten â&#x20AC;&#x153;Happy Birthdayâ&#x20AC;? to my dad, and my own personal way of letting him know that I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forgotten my favor of trying to make something good come out of something so sad.

START A YOU CAN H.E.L.P. FUND Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve hoped for a cure. Now HELP make that a reality. Start fundraising on behalf of the Hirshberg Foundation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; by collecting donations from friends and family, you can HELP find a cure.

Visit pancreatic.org to learn more.

A Birthday Fund in Memory of Bernie Kaplan

By Ilene Kaplan Bernie and I met in 1962 and began dating off and on throughout college. He proposed to me the same year we met, but I felt that at 17 we were too young to get married. We were married a little more than a decade later on March 17, l973 (St. Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day). We began our lives together and started planning for the future, not knowing that he would be taken from me by pancreatic cancer only 36 years later.

On October 21, 1998 I lost my best friend and husband after a short four month battle with pancreatic cancer.

At the time, it had only been a year since Agi Hirshberg lost her husband Ron, and the Hirshberg Foundation was the only resource for pancreatic cancer patients and families. Within hours of reaching out to her, Agi responded to my phone call and was there for my daughter and I when Bernie passed away. She became our new family. It is because of her dedication and passion that I want to be a part of help

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ultimately, a cure. To this day I continue to urge people to help me spread awareness and raise the much needed funds so that other families will not know the pain of the words â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;pancreatic cancer.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Wear Purple!

Without the Hirshberg Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support and friendship over the past 13 years I am not sure how I would have made it through.

This year, in memory of my husband and in honor of our daughter turning 35, I created a You Can Help Fund.

The Fund is an amazing tool on the www.pancreatic.org website where I can utilize my personalized webpage as a means of sharing my message of awareness while also encouraging others to support through action. I asked my family and friends to make a donation to my fund so that we can support the Hirshberg Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission

? / URL on Facebook and received support from friends and acquaintances that I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even talked to in years, but who wanted to support my cause nonetheless. I am happy to report that we have raised over $5000!!! This amount is even more important because $0.83 of every dollar raised through the Foundation goes directly to research! But the best part of creating a Fund is the fact that it is permanent and will never expire, meaning I can continue to use it as a tool for fundraising and awareness for years / ! !

cure!

Thank you to everyone who supported my You Can Help Fund and a big THANK YOU to the Hirshberg Foundation for their relentless passion and commitment to help families and patients that have been touched by pancreatic cancer.

Another year and another amazing LA Cancer Challenge!

We couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be more thrilled that despite facing lower registration numbers we managed to break a new record for fundraising, surpassing last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total by a whopping 15%!

Through the continued support of both the running and cancer communities, each LA # # !!

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We will reach a milestone in 2012 with our 15th Annual LA Cancer Challenge, to be held on Sunday, October 28, 2012. Our goals are to exceed 5000 participating runners and raise $750,000 so we can continue critical research for family and friends facing pancreatic cancer.

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LACancerChallenge.com.

Team Captain Spotlight Allenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Army

by Kevin Powell

My stepdad was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer in June 2010. There were no clear symptoms other than the fact that he was not feeling well and was experiencing weight loss.

the commitment that Union Bank established with the LACC in 2004. Little did I know then that six years later I would be running the LA Cancer Challenge while truly understanding what it meant to raise money for a loved one touched by pancreatic cancer. In 2011 I decided to put a team together in

The doctors had initially thought it was pancreatitis, but after !

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I grew up in California, but my parents divorced when I was in the 3rd grade. Fifteen years ago, my mom moved to Florida, where she eventually met my step-dad. They have been together ever since. I have so much joy knowing that my mom is so happy. I can also say that my step-dad and I have developed a father-son relationship over the past eleven years. He enjoys sharing stories with us about being a retired Master Sargent where he served as a Paratrooper in the army. Now

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another state, but we make it a special occasion to talk on a regular basis.

Through my step-dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diagnosis, our family has grown to understand that every moment and holiday we celebrate and share together is so special! My wedding date was in September 2010, only a few months after my step-dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diagnosis.

I remember how much it meant to my stepdad that he was able to be at my wedding.

Even though he wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t able to stand as my best man - he had started his exhaustive chemotherapy and radiation treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Florida, which caused him to lose 70-80 pounds - he was still present and that meant so much to all of us. My family was also able to come together to have a big party in a hall to celebrate my step-dad and momâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 60th birthdaysâ&#x20AC;Śthose are the times that create memories and remind me that life is so precious.

I was introduced to the Hirshberg Foundation through JR286 and Agron, clients of my employer, Union Bank. Thanks to Jon Â&#x2021; Z Â&#x2021; / ]% # Challenge (LACC) in 2004 with Union Bank, who was one of the event sponsors. I am proud to say that I have continued

honor of my step-dad. We named our team Allenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Army. Not ! /

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In only three weeks, I put a team together in Los Angeles and my mom and step-dad put a team together in Florida.

Those two groups, made up of more than 40 supporters, were set to walk at the same time on the east coast and the west coast. We even had family friends set their clock

in the toughest battle of his life against this disease.

on their cruise to Spain â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they hopped on a treadmill at 9am LA time and ran a 5K. We were running together across the world for one cause â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to honor a great man, Allen. This year Allenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Army raised close to $4000.00 and I placed third in my age division!!!! The event really touches all those that participate, both near and far. It is an event that has heart!

One aspect of the event that is so special is the fact that the shot-gun starters for each run share their own personal stories. What struck me most was the way that every person there has a commonality.

Whether it was a poster, balloon, or a t-shirt, we were striving to achieve the same active goal in the battle against pancreatic %

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his battle across the country. I appreciate that the LA Cancer Challenge offers me the opportunity to participate as an active step in raising money and awareness so that research can be done for an early detection method and for the cure.

I will say it again: my step-dad inspires me. His will to press on while living with pancreatic cancer is amazing.

I am proud to call him my step-dad!

Since this story was written, Allen lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. Our thoughts are with Kevin and his family.

Team Captain Spotlight Team Queen Linda

by Kristin Snowden

I have been a LACC team captain for Team Queen Linda for the past three years after my mom lost a four-month-battle with pancreatic cancer on March 22, 2009.

My mother, Linda Corwin, was a loving, beautiful, talented, and vivacious 55-year-old who seemed to be the picture of health when she went to the doctor to investigate an annoying and painful side-ache. After a few months of misdiagnoses, a random ER ultrasound tech found a tumor on her pancreas and she was soon diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. No real treatment options. Three to six months to live. Determined to see her son graduate college and her grandchildren grow up, Linda opted for destructive chemotherapy treatments for three months but succumbed to the disease. Her family and friends are still devastated by her absence in their lives.

I clung to this once-a-year fundraiser event like a lifeline.

Through emailing my friends and family and posting my team website link regularly on my Facebook site, Team Queen Linda has proudly been in the top ten teams for fundraising and team size every year since its inception. I, along with many other family members and teammates, have grown to love those working for the Hirshberg Foundation. We are deeply appreciative of their efforts to end this frightening disease. I whole-heartedly believe in what this Foundation does, how they spend their money, and their ability to make a difference with the private donations they are given.

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8 ( rience with pancreatic cancer because I realized how desperately the statistics needed to improve for this particular cancer.

Pancreatic cancer has the absolute WORST survival rate of all cancers and it is in DESPERATE NEED of more funding and research. It lacks any kind of early detection and is often only found when it is too far advanced  / !

! penetrate and are often unaltered by current forms of chemotherapy. As a consequence, chances of surviving the disease are still at 3-5%--one of the only cancers with survival odds still in the single digits.

Immediately after my momâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death the only â&#x20AC;&#x153;productiveâ&#x20AC;? and therapeutic thing I could think of doing was

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the pathetic odds of pancreatic cancer.

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One of my ultimate goals with the LACC is to eventually have as many teams present that are created for survivors as there are teams created in oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s memory.

Right now the numbers are skewed too much on the â&#x20AC;&#x153;in memoriamâ&#x20AC;? side. I want to see hundreds of survivors at that event proudly declaring that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve beat this horrible disease.

Team Queen Linda is dedicated and passionate about turning the odds around.

Save the Date â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Sunday, Oct 28, 2012

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The running of the 27th Honda LA Marathon marked the glorious end of an amazing journey for the members of the Hirshberg Training Team. Each team member spent months training for the race, as well as fundraising to meet their commitment of raising at least $1,000 each for pancreatic cancer research. Thanks to the awesome guidance from our coaches at Club 26.2, every member of /

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/ Â&#x2018;Â&#x2019; to date, the largest dollar total in our annual programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history. At the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Celebration Dinner, Agi Hirshberg announced that they had raised enough money to fund a Seed Grant in their honor. Congratulations to each and every member of the Hirshberg Training Team for their amazing efforts. While our team was out running the course, the Hirshberg Foundation hosted the Purple People Party Cheer Station at Mile 21 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and again our sea of purple supporters received glowing reviews for the â&#x20AC;&#x153;emotional boostâ&#x20AC;? provided to the runners by our â&#x20AC;&#x153;loud and motivatingâ&#x20AC;? presence. Thank you to everyone who volunteered, cheered and helped create awareness for our cause!

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Attend an Event Looking for a way to get involved?

We have activities across the country â&#x20AC;&#x201C; check out our calendar of upcoming events! HELP us beat pancreatic cancer by attending an event near you.

Visit pancreatic.org to learn more.

DATE: June 2012 EVENT: Fishing for A Cure â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bass Fishing Derby LOCATION: Lake Casitas, CA CONTACT: douglas_carlson@att.net DATE: June 2012 EVENT: Second Annual Pursuit of Wellness 5K Walk/Run LOCATION: Manchester, VT CONTACT: thepursuitofwellness @gmail.com DATE: July 2012 EVENT: Fourth Annual Bowling Event in Memory of Nancy Rosenberg LOCATION: Chandler, AZ CONTACT: debralboyd@gmail.com DATE: July 2012 EVENT: Third Annual Richard Grana Golf Tournament LOCATION: Shadow Pines Golf Club, Rochester, NY CONTACT: roseanne.grana@bausch.com

DATE: August 2012 EVENT: Fourth Annual Dal Bon Memorial Golf Tournament LOCATION: Auburn, CA CONTACT: www.teamdalbon.org

DATE: September 2012 EVENT: Second Annual John V. Taylor Poker Ride LOCATION: Mesa, AZ CONTACT: info@johnsride.com or www.johnsride.com

DATE: November 2012 EVENT: Third Annual Purple Palooza LOCATION: Wintersville, OH CONTACT: purplepalooza@gmail.com

DATE: October 2012 EVENT: Second Annual Paul F. Beavers Memorial Golf Tournament LOCATION: Carson City, NV CONTACT: dkbeavers@sbcglobal.net

DATE: November 2012 EVENT: Second Annual Make Magic Happen LOCATION: Chicago, IL CONTACT: wcooke@carlsonwagonlit.com

DATE: October 2012 EVENT: Fourth Annual Kick Pancreatic Cancer Soccerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Soccer Match at Waynesburg University LOCATION: Waynesburg, PA CONTACT: mar3354@student.waynesburg. edu; hnweaver@gmail.com DATE: October 2012 EVENT: Fifth Annual Kevin Miya Golf Classic LOCATION: Pittsburg, CA CONTACT: silvanic@pacbell.net; ghaynes@ ci.pittsburg.ca.us DATE: October 28, 2012 EVENT: 15th Annual LA Cancer Challenge 5K/10K Walk/Run and Kids Can Cure Fun Run LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA CONTACT: www.lacancerchallenge.com

DATE: July 2012 EVENT: Children for Charity LOCATION: Detroit, MI CONTACT: unconditional.foundation @yahoo.com

DATE: September 2012 EVENT: Fourth Annual Thrill in Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ville LOCATION: Dawsonville, GA CONTACT: bballjanet@bellsouth.net

DATE: September, 2012 EVENT: Eighth Annual Scotty Fest Golf Tournament LOCATION: Sunol, CA

DATE: November 2012 EVENT: The Third Annual Dale H. Burton Alligator Walk LOCATION: Winston-Salem, NC CONTACT: alligatorwalk@gmail.com or www.pancreatic.org/memorial/alligatorwalk DATE: November 2012 EVENT: Second Annual Peds for Purple Pancreatic Cancer Walk LOCATION: Pennsauken, NJ CONTACT: bkripp611@aol.com DATE: November 2012 EVENT: Fourth Annual Unconditional Birthdays ! + '!<= > ?'

CONTACT: unconditional.foundation @yahoo.com

DATE: November 2012 EVENT: Second Annual Mission Viejo Turkey Chase LOCATION: Mission Viejo, CA CONTACT: kristen.orr@hotmail.com DATE: November 2012 EVENT:

Golf Tournament LOCATION: Pasadena, CA !< + = X [ \

DATE: Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month: November & December 2012 EVENT:

LOCATION: High Point, NC CONTACT: kimpope29@yahoo.com DATE: January 2013 EVENT: Ninth Annual Agi Hirshberg Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer LOCATION: UCLA Los Angeles, CA CONTACT: www.pancreatic.org or email amiller@pancreatic.org DATE: February 2013 EVENT: " #$% Pancreatic Cancer Research LOCATION: Wilmington, DE CONTACT: holly@salon828.com DATE: March 2013 EVENT: Real Results 5K and Kids Dash LOCATION: Las Vegas, NV !< + = > follow link to Active Network

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