I don’t like Father’s Day. There I said it. Or better yet, I “typed” it.
Don’t get me wrong. Father’s Day is a great way to honor all of those dads for being role models to people everywhere. There was a time when I looked forward to surprising my father with a gift or a card every third Sunday in June. But sadly, those days are in the past.
Nine years ago, I handed my dad a pristine New York Yankees Mickey Mantle jersey. Mantle was my father’s favorite baseball player, and when we watched my dad unwrap the package and unveil the prized baseball possession, we saw him wearing the jersey as well as a smile from ear to ear, marking his excitement. It was one of the few times we had seen him that ecstatic in a year.
About a year prior, my father had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I knew pancreatic cancer had claimed the life of actor Michael Landon, but other than that I had no knowledge of the disease that was about to alter the course of our family’s lives. I figured this was just another cancer and people beat cancer all the time. No big deal, right?
Boy, was I greatly mistaken. I went online and checked out the facts:
- Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States.
- About 75 percent of those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer die within the first year and only 6 percent survived past five years.
The numbers were staggering, but like any son who thought the world of his father, I felt he was indestructible and would beat this. Just another bump in the road. In baseball terms – a short trip to the disabled list. Even Mantle overcame injuries and off-field exploits to become one of the greatest outfielders in baseball history.
One week after 9/11, we took a trip to cancer specialist in a somber New York City to see what steps could be taken to get my father back on the right track. With the disease already spread to his liver, the oncologist told us there was nothing she could do and we were sent back to our local physician for a heavy dose of chemotherapy – and prayer.
After numerous treatments that sapped my father of much of his strength and saw him go from an imposing figure to a frail shadow of himself, I started to realize there weren’t going to be any late-game heroics. Like many others afflicted with this insidious disease, my dad was physically overwhelmed by the enormity of what he was facing. Just like his baseball hero, he lost his valiant battle to cancer two weeks after that unforgettable Father’s Day.
Why is this cancer so deadly? Due to the location of the pancreas and vague symptoms, early detection is almost impossible unlike other cancers like breast, colon and prostate. With no early diagnostic tools, patients are typically diagnosed when the cancer has already spread to other organs.
Despite the lack of treatment options and nearly 37,000 deaths attributed to the disease in 2010 alone, pancreatic cancer receives a mere 2 percent of the National Cancer Institute’s budget. Just like the survival rate – an unacceptable figure.
After hearing of a local affiliate forming, I started volunteering for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (pancan.org), a national organization creating hope in a comprehensive way through research, patient support, community outreach and advocacy for a cure. The organization is leading the way to increase the survival rate for people diagnosed with this devastating disease through a bold initiative—The Vision of Progress: Double the Pancreatic Cancer Survival Rate by 2020.
I hear it all the time: “My A. Neighbor, B. Friend, C. Relative, D. Coworker had pancreatic cancer and died from it.” The bad stories outnumber the good ones. Something needs to be done to find a solution to this problem.
Today, June 14, over 600 people will head to Washington, D.C., for Pancreatic Cancer Advocacy Day. Many others, including myself, will participate in a National Call-In and contact their Congressmen to ask them to support the Pancreatic Cancer Research and Education Act (S. 362/ H.R. 733). It proposes comprehensive research initiatives and programs that would facilitate finding a cure for pancreatic cancer.
Once enacted and fully funded, this legislation will create a more targeted approach to provide scientists with the resources necessary to make progress in developing diagnostic methods and treatments that are currently lacking for pancreatic cancer patients.
This legislation won’t save the life of my father but it might help others avoid going through the same sickening agony our family did.
Through a short phone call, I will be taking a step in preventing others from celebrating their last Father’s Day with their dads and continuing a mission of hope – and enjoying many more baseball memories together.
Todd Cohen is the Media Representative for the New Jersey Affiliate of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. For more information about the group, go to www.pancan.org/newjersey or email Todd at TCohen@pancanvolunteer.org
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