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A Message from the President and CEO

Our guest columnist for this issue is Emilie Marchant, a five-year pancreatic cancer survivor who volunteers as a Community Representative in South Carolina. Recently, she and her husband, Dr. Bud Marchant, took action to encourage Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) to co-sponsor the Pancreatic Cancer Research & Education Act.

Julie Fleshman, JD, MBA President and CEO Pancreatic Cancer Action Network ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dear Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Friends: I first found out about the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network through an Internet search after I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in November 2006. I was looking for information on diet and nutrition regarding the disease, and I found just what I needed through the Patient and Liaison Services (PALS) program. Since that time, I have had a Whipple procedure (in 2006) and an operation (in 2008) to remove my pancreas and spleen. Because of the support and care I received from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network during my journey with the disease, I have become committed to the organization and its mission. As the Community Representative for South Carolina, I had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., this year for the fifth annual Pancreatic Cancer Advocacy Day. At the event, we learned that to be successful at advocacy, you need to build a relationship over time with your members of Congress. That got me thinking: with whom in Congress could I build a relationship? That s when it occurred to me that my husband, Bud, who is a North Carolina resident, has a good working relationship with the states junior senator, Kay Hagan, due to his position as president of Central Carolina Community College in Sanford, North Carolina. Bud contacted Sen. Hagans office and asked her staff to look into co-sponsoring the Pancreatic Cancer Research & Education Act. The staff knew exactly which bill he was referring to because they remembered and were so impressed with the volunteers who travelled from North Carolina to Capitol Hill in June for Advocacy Day. Next, I contacted the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to let them know about the conversation that Bud had with Sen. Hagans office. They quickly reached out to the North Carolina affiliate, who in turn had their advocates reinforce our message by contacting Sen. Hagans staff, too. Within a month, the senators office was hearing the same message from her constituents in person, on the phone and in writing

writing. Then, just a little over a month after Advocacy Day, Bud received an email from a staff member in Sen. Hagan's office in Washington, D.C., letting him know that she would co-sponsor the Pancreatic Cancer Research & Education Act, which she did on July 27, 2011. I am grateful to everyone who got involved in this effort and who helped us achieve this important goal. It goes to show that if we all do our part, follow up and be persistent, we really can make great things happen. I firmly believe that by working together, we will soon see the day that this important bill is passed into law. Sincerely, Emilie G. Marchant Community Representative, South Carolina

For information about including the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in your estate planning, click here.

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