November is pancreatic cancer awareness month, so to bring awareness to one of the deadliest cancers, we wanted to share some celebrities that have been impacted by it.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, typically not diagnosed until stage 4, and has a five-year survival rate of 10 percent. November is pancreatic cancer awareness month, and in hopes to bring awareness, we wanted to share some celebrities that have been directly impacted.
Nicky Trebek
Alex Trebek, Nicky’s father, and former Jeopordy! host passed away from pancreatic cancer in November of 2020. To honor him, Nicky formed “Team Nicky” in 2021 for PurpleStride, the walk to end pancreatic cancer.
Kitty Swink and Jonathan Frakes
Star Trek star Kitty Swink is a 17-year pancreatic cancer survivor. She also participated in PurpleStride in 2021 alongside her husband Armin Shimerman. Jonathan Frakes also participated since he lost his brother to pancreatic cancer. The team was Trek Against Pancreatic Cancer.
Dan Fogelman
The This is Us writer and producer lost his mother to the disease and joined the PurpleStride race as well as “Team Dan Fogelman.”
These celebrities have all been impacted by pancreatic cancer and joined PanCAN’s PurpleStride Los Angeles walk in 2021 to raise money for this cancer.
Charlotte Rae
Charlotte Rae, best known for her role as Mrs. Garrett on The Facts of Life, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2009 and survived. Pancreatic cancer ran in her family, so she was able to get diagnosed early and became cancer-free after six months of chemotherapy. Her uncle, mom, and elder sister all passed from pancreatic cancer.
John Hurt
Best known for his roles in the Harry Potter movies, John Hurt was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015. He continued working while undergoing treatment and later in 2015 announced his cancer was in remission.
Jamie Dornan
Actor Jamie Dornan’s mother passed from pancreatic cancer when he was 16 years old. He started his support for a new fundraising drive by Northern Ireland charity, NI Pancreatic Cancer, in 2020 when they sewed a ‘Quilt of Hope’ to raise awareness of this cancer. Jamie has always been passionate about the fight against pancreatic cancer.
