Project Purple relies on our community to make a difference in the lives of patients dealing with pancreatic cancer. This year, Lisa Peirce, one of our alumni, ran her 5th Annual Fancy Nancy Memorial Golf Tournament in memory of her mother, who lost her life to the disease. Thanks to her and her family’s efforts, the tournament raised about $16,000 for Project Purple.
Pierce’s mother, Nancy Pierce, was diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer in 2016. Pierce, a pediatric oncologist living in Philadelphia, commuted back and forth to Massachusetts to support her mother during her treatment. Facing the challenges of being a caregiver, Peirce decided to get involved with Project Purple. She ran as a member of the 2016 Boston Marathon team for her mother, and to raise awareness for the disease.
After a difficult battle, Nancy lost her life to the disease in May of 2017. To honor her mother, whose nickname was Fancy Nancy, her daughter decided to host a golf tournament in her honor to raise awareness and funds to help fight pancreatic cancer.
The tournament is held on the Thursday before Mother’s Day each year. The Pierce’s hold the tournament at a golf course to honor their mother’s love for the sport. This year, the tournament kicked off at 8 am on May 11 at Four Oaks Country Club in Dracut, MA.
The tournament has grown in size over the years, and with it, so has the community impacted by Pierce’s charitable efforts. In her first year, Pierce raised $8,000 for Project Purple. Now, she has doubled that amount.
All the proceeds from this event have gone towards Project Purple’s Patient Financial Aid Program that works to provide financial assistance to those currently seeking treatment for pancreatic cancer. Thanks to the Pierces’ contributions, Project Purple has been able to help many more families going through this disease.
If you would like to host a fundraising event for Project Purple, contact info@projectpurple.org. Or to see what events we have coming up, visit https://www.projectpurple.org/events/.
