Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), along with Representatives André Carson (IN-07) and Anna Eshoo (CA-18), has introduced a resolution to raise awareness about pancreatic cancer and to support the designation of this November as Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. The bicameral effort comes as the world continues to mourn several American leaders who battled the very aggressive cancer, including Congressman John Lewis and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“I’m proud to join Representatives Eshoo and Carson to designate November as Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month and to recognize the Rhode Islanders battling this heartbreaking disease,” said Whitehouse, who last year helped establish a federal research program to find a cure for pancreatic cancer. “This November, I hope people across the country will join the fight to find a cure for pancreatic cancer.”
Approximately 57,000 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year. Described as a silent killer, pancreatic cancer does not have an early detection test. The resolution recognizes the importance of increasing funding for pancreatic cancer research at the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health, and of reducing the disease’s outsized effect on communities of color.
“As a 14-year survivor of pancreatic cancer, many thousands of Americans have perished from this terrible cancer since my diagnosis,” said Diane Borrison of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. “I am grateful to Representatives Carson and Eshoo and Senator Whitehouse for this resolution, designating November 2020 as Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, as a means of raising awareness about the disease and the urgent need for additional research funding. The passing of Congressman John Lewis and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has brought this need into sharp focus. No early detection methods, too few treatment options, and for too many – no hope. We must do better. Designating November 2020 as Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month is an important step in the right direction.”
