NOVEMBER 1, 2022 - Last year we told you about the fight against pancreatic cancer that was being supported by Jonathan Frakes, Armin Shimerman, and Shimerman’s wife, Kitty Swink, who is an 18-year pancreatic cancer survivor. The fight is far from over, however, and Frakes is back to help with this year’s effort.

Frakes is lending his voice to support the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network's (PanCAN) annual Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month campaign launching today. This year's campaign, titled "Research for All of Us," encourages the nation to get involved in the fight against pancreatic cancer by sharing inspiring stories, including Frakes’, which highlight the urgent need for more research and donations to PanCAN to support pancreatic cancer patients and their families.

Frakes, who lost his brother Daniel to pancreatic cancer, understands the pain and fear the disease brings patients and their loved ones. This has driven his partnership with PanCAN and commitment to the cause. He also serves as a team leader, alongside Swink and Shimerman. They have raised thousands of dollars for the organization’s largest annual fundraiser, PanCAN PurpleStride, the ultimate walk to end pancreatic cancer.

PanCAN funds life-saving research, providing personalized patient services and creating a community of supporters and volunteers. In the past two decades, PanCAN has invested $174 million in groundbreaking research. This past year alone, PanCAN awarded more than $10.5 million in research grants as part of the largest-ever, single year total research investment of $25 million.

There is, however, still no standard early detection test for pancreatic cancer and few effective treatments. PanCAN’s research investment, though, includes funding more than 200 grants cumulatively to scientists across the country and large-scale research initiatives such as PanCAN’s Precision Promise℠ clinical trial, which seeks to accelerate the approval of new treatment options for pancreatic cancer patients and PanCAN’s Early Detection Initiative, with a goal of developing a strategy to diagnose pancreatic cancer early when surgery is still possible.  

You can help support the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network by visiting pancan.org. You can also participate in a free, virtual event on World Pancreatic Cancer Day (Nov. 17), when survivors, caregivers, and researchers will bring to life some of the incredible stories about the impact pancreatic cancer research and PanCAN have made on their lives. To register for free, go to pancan.org/WPCD2022.