Alex Cunningham MP has pledged to get on Purple Alert this November for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month to help transform the lives of people affected by pancreatic cancer in Stockton North.
At a Pancreatic Cancer UK drop-in event at Westminster, Alex Cunningham MP heard that 93 per cent of people diagnosed will not survive five years or more, and that there has been very little improvement in survival since the early 1970s. The charity says that unless urgent action is taken now, pancreatic cancer will become the fourth biggest cancer killer by 2026.
Alex Cunningham MP said:
“Tragically, pancreatic cancer took the lives of 191 people in the NHS Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees CCG area during 2010-2014. It is clear that much more work is needed to deliver the kind of change which we must see for people affected, and to achieve the improvements in survival so desperately needed.
“This year, 9,600 people in the UK will receive a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. I want to encourage everyone in Stockton North to join me in getting on Purple Alert this November, to help change the future for everyone affected by the disease.”
Alex Ford, Chief Executive at Pancreatic Cancer UK said:
“We’re extremely grateful Alex Cunningham MP has shown his support by signing our Purple Alert pledge at our drop-in event and learning more about the numbers of people affected by pancreatic cancer in in the NHS Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees CCG area.
“We’re calling on people in Stockton North to join us in getting on Purple Alert this November, to help us raise more funds for research into the disease and provide vital support for people affected. People can join our campaign at www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/pcam”
This Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, Pancreatic Cancer UK is calling on people to Move It, Bake It, Quiz It, Game It, Style It or Wear It purple as part of its Purple Alert campaign. The funds raised from these activities will help the charity offer vital support to patients and families, invest in crucial research to help us see the breakthroughs we urgently need, and be a voice for everyone affected by the disease.
