Travis County Commissioners Court
October 28, 2008
Item 5
5. Approve resolution proclaiming November 2008 as "pancreatic cancer awareness month" in Travis County
>> good morning, judge, commissions, special thank you to Commissioner eckhardt for sponsoring this proclamation. My name is erica, my mother died two years ago from pancreatic cancer. What I would like for you to know is that she died seven weeks after her diagnosis. Probably the more critical fact before that is that she was misdiagnosed by three different doctors in the area. Over a span of five months. Pancreatic cancer as some of you may know there's a sheriff's office employee who is currently battling this. It masks itself as many other diseases and it's typically not found until it's in its later stages. As a community I feel like we really need to come together to make our -- make our lawmakers, our legislators, our senators aware that we really need to pitch for funding for this. I -- I volunteer with a group called the pancreatic cancer action network. They have been working really hard on -- on capitol hill to -- to make pancreatic cancer, to bring it to the forefronts and have it more -- make people more aware. There's a -- there's a -- a support for the national plan to advance pancreatic cancer research. I would just like to ask everyone to call your state representative, call kay bailey hutchinson's office, call senator cornyn's office, tell them that you as individuals as a community really want to see this national plan put forth. And I would also like to introduce greg
>> [indiscernible], our affiliate coordinator.
>> I also lost my mother to pancreatic cancer seven years ago. She was diagnosed, we lost her seven months later. Right now the reason why we are before you today is that November has been proclaimed as the -- as the national pancreatic cancer awareness month by the u.s. Congress for the past three years. We're trying to do more of a grassroots at a local level. Approximately 38,000 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, approximately 34,000 will die. There is no -- there are no tests right now, there is no screening and research is at the level that breast cancer research was in the 1930's. This is because it's a catch 22. Where funding goes that's where the researchers go. Right now pancreatic research receives less than 2% of the national cancer research institute's budget for funding. That's why we're before you today. The sooner that we can crack a disease like pan camp this, there'shope to crack all . Until we put more money towards the research of pancreatic cancer and finding screens and ways to protect it we're not going to be able to crack that.
>> let me ask you this question. We have a combined charity initiative here in Travis County. Of course in doing that, we -- we try to have -- encourage our county employees to -- to participate in different type of -- of programs, especially funded, whether that be sickle cell or cancer or just a whole array of -- of -- of things that we feel that need funding. Let me ask you this question. Do you know if this particular type of cancer, pancreatic cancer is among the list of those things that we fund through the Texas employees -- I don't really know that. I know it says cancer, then you start having break downs in the cancer arena, whether it's breast cancer, this cancer and different type of cancers. And I'm just beginning to wonder whether or not if that under this type of effort that we are pushing through with Travis County to encourage or employees to fund, I'm just wondering if that is a part of -- if not I don't know of any --
>> good morning, Commissioner. Wes purdue lieutenant with the Travis County sheriff's office. I am aware that that is one of our options through the combined charities. That's been my choice for the past year.
>> okay.
>> once again this year it will be my choice, pan can is how it's listed, short for pancreatic cancer action network. That's the one that I have been supporting. It is there, it is available.
>> it is available, okay, that's good to know. Okay, thank you. I didn't mean to interrupt you. But, you know --
>> not at all.
>> actually that was an initiative that I was informed about on a different level through some people that we happened to be at the live strong challenge raising awareness all weekend and somebody approached me about did you know that this was an option. So I'm glad that you brought that up.
>> okay well thank you.
>> we don't want to be downers here. But the fact of the matter is pancreatic cancer does affect people and it is the fourth leading cause of cancer death. You know, over 2100 people will be diagnosed in the state of Texas this year. So we're just asking to help raise awareness. We've -- erica has done a great job of contacting commissions in Travis County, Williamson county, the city of Austin, the city of Cedar Park. We're just trying to continue to raise awareness on a local level. That's why we're here before you today.
>> okay.
>> okay.
>> I'll read the resolution, first I wanted to say happy birthday to claire burnet, a good, dear friend of my family who died a few years ago of pancreatic cancer, it was her birthday last week. This is a terrible type of cancer. It's very swift moving because it's not detected until so late. Many who contract it basically face death very swiftly. Whereas over 37,680 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year in the united states and 34,290 will die from the disease. Whereas it is the deadliest cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the united states. Whereas approximately 2,060 deaths will occur in the state of Texas. Whereas 75% of pancreatic cancer patients die within the first year. 95% die within the first five years. Whereas there is no cure for pancreatic cancer and there have been no significant improvements in early detection, treatment methods or survival rates in the last 25 years. Whereas when symptoms of pancreatic cancer present themselves it is usually too late for an optimistic prognosis. The average life expectancy for those diagnosed with met takes sis disease is only three to six months, whereas incidence is 20 to 30% higher in men than in women and 40 to 50% higher in african-americans than in other ethnic groups. Whereas the federal government invests less money in pancreatic cancer research than it does in any other leading cancers. Whereas the good health and well-being of the residents of Travis County are enhanced as a direct result of increased awareness about pancreatic cancer, research, causes, effective treatment. Whereas the pancreatic cancer action network is the first and only national organization that serves the community by for example consumption its efforts on public policy, research funding, patient services and public awareness and education related to developing effective treatments and a cure for pancreatic cancer. Whereas they support those patients currenting battling the cancer as well as to those who have lost their lives from the disease and are committed to nothing less than a cure. Now therefore be it resolved that we the Travis County Commissioners court do hereby proclaim the month of November, 2008 as pancreatic cancer awareness month. Signed the --
>> second.
>> thank you very much.
>> thank you. All in favor? That passes by unanimous vote. Thank you very much.
>> may I add everybody should wear purple in the month of November to raise awareness.
>> thank you very much.
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Last Modified:
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 1:38 PM