"Celebration of Hope": Our Gala was a Huge Success!

The night of May 4th, at the Seattle Westin Hotel, can only be described as "magical" (as my friend, Pat L., would say)! This was the first-ever event of its kind in Washington State, to raise awareness, and funds for the national fight to secure the necessary research dollars to cure pancreatic cancer. Did you know that only 1% of all cancer research dollars are allocated for pancreatic cancer research, even though it is the fourth leading killer among all cancers? Nationally, the five year survival rate of pancreatic cancer patients is only 5%. We desperately need the funding for awareness, early detection and research leading to a cure.

THANK YOU to the 330 guests who attended and supported the effort. Your energy and heartfelt engagement filled the room. So far, it looks like we will top the $240,000 mark in gross revenue from the event. Not at all shabby for a first-time event! I thought it was particularly wonderful that (quite spontaneously) Dr. Picozzi and Dr. Sunil Hingorani (Pancreatic cancer research team member at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center) agreed to be auctioned off for lunch dates. Dr. P. "sold" THREE times, for $5,000 a pop! That's $15,000 in lunches with Dr. P.!! Like one of our friends said, "Dr. Picozzi is a Rock Star!". He was a star, indeed, in his tux ensemble with a lavender vest, and purple accessories. Both Dr. P. and Dr. Hingorani spoke eloquently about their work in the field of pancreatic cancer.

We were so fortunate to have Susannah Frame, KING 5 TV Investigative Reporter, as our MC for the evening. Susannah's father is fighting pancreatic cancer, so she had a visible emotional connection to the event. Self-proclaimed, she had never acted as an auctioneer before that night. Susannah did a fantastic job! We would not have raised the kind of money we did, if it hadn't been for her passion and genuiness. Thanks to Pat L. and Cynthia S. for their work in procurement of auction items!

A HUGE THANKS to Annie M. for having the vision for this event, and leading the effort, as our Chair. Annie, you can feel justifiably proud of the results! Mary Kay and her team did an awesome job of decorating the room into a purple glow, purple for PanCAN. A special thanks to Marie, Jan, Anna B., Kimmy and Jennifer M. from PanCAN for all of the execution details along the way, especially in the final weeks, which were hectic. We retirees felt like we were back on the treadmill, with deadlines and pressure! The TeamHope volunteers, led by Chelsea, and the Team Bank of America Volunteers, led by Mike O. were awesome. We couldn't have done it without you guys!

If you ever need a local band that gets everyone on their feet, hire "Theresa Carnovale and the City Lights". Wow, they were incredible! We had such a large group that stayed and danced until midnight, thanks to the great sounds of this fabulous band. Kathy Mitchell and Andy Carr (pianist) performed a beautiful rendition of "The Long and Winding Road" during the program. I always knew Kathy was an accomplished vocalist, but I had no idea she would deliver with such strong passion. It was beautiful.

Matching Gifts: For those of you who contributed, please help us maximize the event's income with your corporate matching gifts, where applicable. The organization's official name is Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (not PanCAN), based in El Segundo, California. You may also match $85 of the $175 you paid to attend ($90 is the estimated value of the dinner).

Donations are still welcome (always!). If you'd like to participate, please send your contribution to our special post office box (monitored by Annie), set up temporarily for this purpose:

PanCAN Gala Event
4957 Lakemont Blvd. SE, C-4 #306
Bellevue, WA 98006

Don't miss it next year! In Spring 2008 PanCAN will also be holding a patient symposium, at Virginia Mason Medical Center, followed by the second annual Gala!

Cheers!!