On behalf of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Bay Area Affiliate, I would like to thank Mayor Peter Drekmeier and the Palo Alto Council members for presenting us with the proclamation designating the month of November as Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.

This past September, many learned pancreatic cancer had taken yet another beloved person, actor Patrick Swayze. What many don't know is that people right here in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, San Mateo, and the entire Bay Area are currently battling the same disease.

Pancreatic cancer is the most lethal cancer killing 76% within 12 months of diagnosis. Only 5% of patients will survive 5 years after diagnosis.

Shortly after my fiance's 30th birthday, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We lost him in 2004. I started volunteering with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to help generate awareness of this stealthy killer.

This year, 42,470 Americans will be diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer, that's 116 per day, and 35,240 will die from the disease.

There are no early detection methods, and there are no effective treatments.

Pancreatic cancer is the most under-funded, under-recognized, and least-studied of all the major cancer killers, receiving just 2% of the National Cancer Institutes budget for research.

Please take a moment to learn the three warning signs of pancreatic cancer. Visit: www.pancan.org and help make a difference.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Mackover

Stanford Weekend Acres