Dear Project Purple Supporter,
I am going to be honest. I am scared for my family, I am scared for my mom who is a two-time breast cancer survivor, and I am scared for our Project Purple community: our staff, participants, research teams and the patient community we serve.
It is my sincerest hope that you and your families are not impacted by COVID-19. Time will only tell if that is a reality. We do know a couple of things already, though. We should all be washing our hands; social distancing is here to stay, and less social interaction is more at this point and recognize the symptoms released by the government and CDC.
For our families fighting pancreatic cancer… we are in uncharted territory. Over the past two weeks I have manned the telephones, as the rest of our staff is safely working from home. The patients who have called are fearful of what the COVID-19 outbreak means for them as cancer patients; they fear for their lives. Have you seen the picture of the spouse waiting outside in the parking lot with a supportive sign for his wife receiving chemo, because she had to go in alone? Just like the doctors, nurses and medical staff on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, our patient population fighting pancreatic cancer needs us now more than ever. Support at this time is critical; we can’t turn our backs on our patients fighting this insidious disease.
Project Purple has gone virtual with all our events. Click HERE for more information and we hope you’ll get involved! If you’re not interested in participating in an event, we encourage you to donate to our special Patient Financial Aid Fund. 100% of your donation goes to families fighting. Make a donation HERE.
Let’s not forget those fighting pancreatic cancer during this time. We can’t afford to turn our backs on this already fragile community. Your support just might be the difference a patient needs to make it to their chemo treatment for the week.
We will all become stronger after this crisis is over and we will never stop fighting for all those fighting pancreatic cancer.
Thanks for the support and be safe.
Sincerely,
Dino Verrelli
Founder & CEO, Project Purple
