By Ed Karvoski Jr., Contributing Writer
Photo/submitted
Shrewsbury – Self-described as “a philanthropist without all the money,” Audrey Kurlan-Marcy of Shrewsbury has donated an invaluable amount of time and energy to various cancer causes.
In 1984, she was a founding board member of Hope Lodge, which offers free lodging to cancer patients travelling to Worcester for therapy. In 2010, she co-founded Pink Revolution, an alliance that supports breast cancer survivors throughout central Massachusetts. In 2003, she was a founding member of the Pancreatic Cancer Alliance (PCA) and currently serves as its board chair.
PCA began when Tom Cole shared with Kurlan-Marcy his desire for advance research for pancreatic cancer at the UMass Memorial Cancer Center of Excellence, and to support patients and their families. Their fight was personal because his mother succumbed to the disease six months after her father-in-law.
“Tom had done the research,” Kurlan-Marcy said. “He found that nothing had changed in the treatment of pancreatic cancer in 30 years. That propelled us into wanting to do something.”
Another founding board member, Brian Davis, created the PCA slogan: “Don’t Give Up the Fight.” After working with PCA in its early years, he passed away from pancreatic cancer.
According to PCA literature, “Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death, but receives the least research support of the major cancers. Each year, more than 46,000 Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; more than 39,000 die, making pancreatic cancer more deadly than prostrate and close to breast cancer.”
While November is National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, PCA strives year-round to increase funds for research and support of patients by conducting annual fundraisers. Concurrently, the alliance raises awareness, Kurlan-Marcy noted.
“What we’ve done in the past 11 years with such a small group of people is amazing,” she said. “Our fundraising efforts have raised nearly $1.5 million – and put a spotlight on pancreatic cancer in our own backyard.”
The seventh annual Karaoke for a Cure will be held Thursday, Nov. 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Coral Seafood Restaurant in Worcester.
Each spring, PCA offers Pansies for Progress, a statewide fundraiser that has grown annually.
“We sell about 5,000 pansy plants in one week,” Kurlan-Marcy said. “It’s a good way to get the name out there because you meet a lot of people.”
She was particularly touched by a woman who saw her and other volunteers wearing PCA shirts while selling pansies. The woman introduced herself.
“She said to me, ‘I have pancreatic cancer and I want to thank you. I’ve heard about your group, but to actually see you in action gives me such a peace of mind,’” Kurlan-Marcy relayed. “Moments like that is why I do what I do.”
Another annual fundraiser is Arturo’s Fusion Sunday held in June.
A pancreatic cancer symposium is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 3, from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Conference Room on the University Campus of UMass Memorial Medical Center. Guests will learn about the disease from survivors, and Dr. Laura Lambert is the keynote speaker. The program is open to the public and health care professionals. Dinner will be served and registration is required. Free registration can be made online or by calling 508-334-5165.
Kurlan-Marcy expressed her pride in a strong program built at UMass through a supportive relationship with medical professionals and PCA.
“The passion we share to find better treatments, and ultimately a cure for pancreatic cancer, is unstoppable,” she said. “We won’t give up the fight.”
For more information about PCA, visit pancreaticalliance.org. For information about the pancreatic cancer symposium and Karaoke for a Cure, click “Events.”
