Area women attend pancreatic cancer fund-raiser

Cosmetologist Kathy Hlebichuk found she has something in common with NBC newswoman Katie Couric. Both have lost sisters to pancreatic cancer, a disease that comes with a 99 percent mortality rate.

Hlebichuk met Couric at the eighth annual fund-raiser “Evening With the Stars” gala and educational symposium Nov. 11 and 12. She attended as the North Idaho Team Hope coordinator for Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. The advocacy group, founded in 1999, lobbies for research money and runs a patient services program offering support and information on clinical trials.

The trip to Beverly Hills to mingle with stars and cancer survivors was Hlebichuk’s fourth and was special this year because Debbie Angle came along. Angle, a Wallace bank employee and grandmother, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003, and Hlebichuk was her supporter throughout the ordeal.

“Kathy’s a great friend,” Angle said. “She’s been there since the beginning, and I appreciate her a lot.”

As a two-year survivor, Angle was an honored guest at the black-tie gala. Couric presented an award named after her sister and was available to meet the two North Idaho women, along with 800 guests and more than 50 survivors.

Some of the attending survivors were in declining health, but Angle has shown no signs of cancer since her surgery in July 2004.

“All indications are great, and I feel good,” she said.

She has continued to work full time in banking and has taken on some new responsibilities.

“I’ve always been involved in the community, but I’ve re-evaluated what’s important,” she said.

Angle was the survivor’s reception chairperson at the Silver Valley’s first Relay for Life last summer. The event raised more than $25,000 for the American Cancer Society, and Angle said that everyone was amazed with how well it went for a first year.

“I definitely want to play a major role in helping raise money for research,” she said.

Next year Angle will co-chair the entire Silver Valley relay event and expects it will lead to more opportunities to meet others facing cancer.

“When I was going through the toughest times, it was important to be able to share things with someone who understood,” she said. “Unless you’ve been there, you really don’t know how a person feels. I want to be there for people.”

She shares that sentiment with Hlebichuk, who committed herself to spreading a message of hope since her sister died five years ago. Hlebichuk, of Coeur d’Alene, offers PanCAN’s resources and her phone number to anyone who needs a listening ear.

Hlebichuk spent this November distributing purple ribbons and PanCAN information to local physician offices and cancer treatment areas. She sold more than 10 car raffle tickets for the PanCAN gala at $100 apiece and spent time at the event securing pledges and coordinating gift bags.

Although pancreatic cancer remains the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths, it was a good year for the advocacy group, Hlebichuk said. In October, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a proposal to make November officially Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. Hundreds of PanCAN members wrote in support and “Life Bulb Kits” were distributed to offices of the 58 congressional co-sponsors of the bill. The kits are PanCAN’s newest method of raising awareness, by selling purple light bulb candles that represent the need to “shed light” on more research, treatment and earlier detection of pancreatic cancer. Dutch iris bulbs are part of the kit; they bloom in spring to demonstrate a year-round commitment to the cause.

Pancreatic cancer has the highest fatality rate of all cancers yet receives the least funding, according to PanCAN literature. Research grants for pancreatic cancer have increased through PanCAN’s fund-raising efforts. More than $1 million has been dispensed to scientists to fight the disease.

“What Susan G. Komen is to breast cancer, we’ll be to pancreatic cancer one day,” Hlebichuk said.

The Komen foundation has supported research and outreach efforts to eradicate breast cancer for 20 years. Across the country, PanCAN members hold mall walks, domino tournaments, pancake breakfasts and more to raise money. Hlebichuk would like others to contact her if they have interest in organizing a local event.

“I would love to be able to have a walk or something like that,” she said.

The pancreas is tucked between intestines, stomach and spleen and is considered a good place for tumors to hide. In the shape of a flattened banana, the pancreas delivers secretions to the small bowel to aid digestion and produces insulin, which regulates blood sugar. Pancreatic cancer symptoms can be vague, and diagnosis is often made after the disease has advanced and spread, as was the case for Hlebichuk’s sister.

Hlebichuk found comfort in another accomplishment this year. Her niece, the daughter of her late sister, signed on as a PanCAN Team Hope coordinator for North Dakota.

“I think it’s been helpful in her healing,” Hlebichuk said. “I know it’s helped me in my healing, definitely. It’s been so easy; it comes from my heart.”