JULY 15, 2021 - The Maine Edge, a Bangor, Maine-based publication, recently caught up with Star Trek: The Next Generation actor and renowned director of all sorts of Trek, Jonathan Frakes. Earlier this week, they published an interview that took place just prior to Frakes’ return to his home in Maine, the place he calls “the best place in the world”. But we’re not supposed to know that….

Frakes and his wife Genie Francis split their time between California and the Pine Tree state, but that wasn’t the focus of the interview. Much of the discussion focused on Frakes’ work with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, or PanCAN. Over the past several months, he has teamed up with fellow Star Trek alumni Armin Shimerman and Kitty Swink, to lead the charge raising funds for early detection and new treatment approaches for the disease.

Frakes’ brother, Daniel, died with pancreatic cancer 24 years ago, after surviving for five months following his diagnosis. At the time, the survival rate was one or two percent. Kitty Swink beat only slightly better odds, having survived pancreatic cancer herself, 17 years ago. The ongoing fundraising efforts by Frakes, Shimerman, and Swink began as early as May of this year with Trek Against Pancreatic Cancer at PanCAN’s PurpleStride Los Angeles event. They have raised almost $65,000 to date.

According to their website, PanCAN “was the first organization dedicated to fighting pancreatic cancer in a comprehensive way” as they fund research, provide patient services, and advocate for federal research funding, among other actions. To find out more, including how to support their efforts, visit pancan.org.

And to read more of Jonathan Frakes’ interview with The Maine Edge, including his love for Maine, his trombone gig with the band Phish, and his cow-shaped mailbox, head over to themaineedge.com.