I did not choose this fight, but I am choosing to use my voice. This November is not just another awareness month for me and not just another purple ribbon. It is personal. My diagnosis became part of my story through the appointments, the tests, the waiting, the questions, the pain, the fear, and the strength it takes to keep going when life changes in ways you never expected.

Pancreatic cancer does not get nearly enough attention, and that has real consequences for people and families like mine. Too often, the signs can be subtle or mistaken for something else. People need to know that symptoms can include abdominal or back pain, digestive problems, jaundice, and unexplained weight loss. People also need to know that pancreatic cancer comes in different forms, including pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, and that cancer does not always look the way people imagine it will.

That is why I am calling on federal leaders to increase funding for pancreatic cancer research and early detection. We need stronger investment in better screening tools, better treatment options, and more research that helps people get answers sooner. We need this cancer to be taken seriously, not pushed to the side because it is harder to detect or less talked about. Awareness matters, but awareness without action is not enough.

I am sharing my story because behind every purple ribbon is a real person, a family, and a fight that many people never see. To everyone fighting, surviving, supporting, remembering, or grieving, I see you. If you believe pancreatic cancer deserves more attention, more research, and more urgency, please sign and help make November more than a color. Help make it change.