ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) — People who've felt the impact of pancreatic cancer will be coming together on Oct. 22 to raise awareness and pay tribute to those lost to the disease.
It's the annual Pancreatic Cancer Action Network's PurpleLight event.
Matthew Rosenblum of Hazel Park was diagnosed in 2021 with stage four pancreatic cancer at the age of 32.
“It's important to, to talk about, to let people know what to be on the lookout for," Rosenblum said. “My urine turned extremely dark, my stool was bone white, and my skin itched so severely.”
His first surgery revealed how far the cancer had spread.
“They cut me open, and they found a tumor on the head of my pancreas that had spread to my liver and to my abdominal wall," he said.
Rosenblum learned he had a genetic predisposition for pancreatic cancer, testing positive for the BRCA2 gene mutation.
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – PanCAN– recommends with you speak with your doctor if you experience one or more of these seven symptoms:
- Back or stomach pain
- Bloating
- Unexplained weight loss
- Jaundice or yellowing of the skin
- Change in stool
- Sudden onset of type 2 diabetes
- Trouble digesting food — which can lead to loss of appetite, indigestion, and nausea.
Melissa Buot-Favazza lost her mother to pancreatic cancer in 2013. She now volunteers to help raise awareness.
“There were no symptoms. Just one day I looked at her, and I said, 'Mom, why are you yellow?'" Buot-Favazza said.
“Pancreatic cancer is not the deadliest cancer, but it does have the lowest survival rate?" I asked Buot-Favazza.
“It does, it’s 12% at this time. And... what PANCAN is doing is we want to increase that by 2030 to 20%," Buot-Favazza explained.
She organizes PurpleLight, which is a free event where those impacted by pancreatic cancer can gather while names of their loved ones are read aloud.
Rosenblum will be there, recognized as a survivor.
After extensive chemotherapy and a second surgery, he told me he has not had evidence of a metastatic disease in his body for over a year.
"If I can give someone hope that I really didn't have and that so many other pancreatic cancer patients don't have, I think that, I mean, that it's a job well done," he said.
If you'd like to attend PurpleLight Michigan, it's not too late to register. The tribute event will be held on Sunday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. at Gilda's Club — located at 3517 Rochester Road in Royal Oak, Michigan.
I've lost my father and father-in-law to pancreatic cancer, and I really appreciate when other people share their stories, so we can raise awareness about this devastating disease.
