Title
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month Proclamation
Memorandum
PROCLAMATION
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
November 2011
WHEREAS, In 2011, an estimated 43,030 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the United States and 37,660 will die from the disease. Approximately 1,670 deaths will occur in Michigan this year; and
WHEREAS, Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers and is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. There is no cure for pancreatic cancer and there have been no significant improvements in survival rates in the last 40 years; and
WHEREAS, When symptoms of pancreatic cancer present themselves, it is usually too late for an optimistic prognosis, and 74 percent of pancreatic cancer patients die within the first year of their diagnosis while 94 percent of pancreatic cancer patients die within the first five years; and
WHEREAS, Of all the racial/ethnic groups in the United States, African Americans have the highest incidence rate of pancreatic cancer, between 34 percent and 70 percent higher than the other groups; and
WHEREAS, The Federal Government invests significantly less money in pancreatic cancer research than it does in any of the other leading cancer killers; and pancreatic cancer research constitutes only approximately 2 percent of the National Cancer Institute's federal research funding, a figure far too low given the severity of the disease, its mortality rate, and how little is known about how to arrest it; and
WHEREAS, The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the first and only national patient advocacy organization that serves the pancreatic cancer community in Ann Arbor and nationwide by focusing its efforts on public policy, research funding, patient services, and public awareness and education related to developing effective treatments and a cure for pancreatic cancer; and
WHEREAS, The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and its affiliates in Michigan support those patients currently battling pancreatic cancer, as well as those who have lost loved ones to the disease, and are committed to nothing less than a cure; and
WHEREAS, The good health and well-being of the residents of Ann Arbor are enhanced as a direct result of increased awareness about pancreatic cancer and research into early detection, causes, and effective treatments.
NOW THEREFORE, I, John Hieftje, Mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan, do hereby, proclaim November 2011 as Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
I hereby set my hand and seal this 10th day of November, 2011
John Hieftje, Mayor