WASHINGTON, June 2, 2019 — Thousands will walk to end pancreatic cancer, the world’s toughest cancer, at PurpleStride Washington D.C. on Saturday, June 8 at Freedom Plaza. The family-friendly community event, presented by the Washington Capitals is hosted by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) Washington D.C. Affiliate.
Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States with a five-year survival rate of just 9 percent. Funds raised through the event support critical pancreatic cancer research as well as PanCAN’s clinical initiatives and patient services, including Know Your Tumor®, Precision PromiseSM, Clinical Trial Finder and the Patient Registry.
Julie Fleshman, JD, MBA, president and CEO of PanCAN, urges those in the Washington D.C. area to lace up their walking shoes and join PurpleStride to save lives and double pancreatic cancer survival.
“It’s a truly special moment when we are able to recognize the pancreatic cancer survivors in attendance at the event and cheer them on as they cross the walk’s finish line,” Fleshman said. “By raising funds through PurpleStride, attendees will help PanCAN continue to give patients and families more moments like this together.”
Thirteen-year-old Emerson LaTourette is walking with her family in honor of her father, Steve LaTourette, a former U.S. Representative who died from pancreatic cancer in 2016 just over two years after his diagnosis. Team LaTourettecaptained by Emerson’s mother, Jennifer, is one of the top fundraising teams at PurpleStride Washington D.C. and has raised more than $21,000 for PanCAN this year alone.
“My dad may have lost his battle, but there are thousands of other people out there who can and should fight theirs,” Emerson LaTourette said. “I am walking in PurpleStride this year as a member of Team LaTourette not only to remember my dad, but to help raise money to find a cure so other patients and families don’t have to go through the same thing.”
The event is supported by premier sponsor, the Judy and Peter Blum Kovler Foundation, national presenting sponsor Celgene, presenting sponsor the Washington Capitals, national gold sponsors AbbVie and Ipsen, gold sponsor Rafael Pharmaceuticals, gold media sponsor WRC-TV, national silver sponsor TriSalus Life Sciences, and silver sponsors Immunovia, King’s Hawaiian, The Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers, and GW Cancer Center.