JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax is “getting real” about pancreatic cancer and the realities experienced in the African-American community.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
An African American Initiative (AAI) was launched last year through the National Pancreas Foundation to raise awareness.
The Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville is one of the foundation’s Centers of Excellence, which means it has a multidisciplinary team to care for patients with pancreatic disease.
“We are eager to enroll patients in research trials and learn more about their increased risk,” said Dr. Michelle Lewis.
Read: Rabies alert issued for Nassau County after raccoon tested positive in Yulee area
Lewis is a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic Florida and director of the National Pancreas Foundation Centers of Excellence at Mayo Clinic Florida.
“It’s a much-needed initiative,” Lewis said. “Historically, African Americans have not been included in many research trials.”
Data from the National Cancer Institute indicates that African-Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at a rate 20% higher than any other group.
Leesha Archie, a Jacksonville resident and local mom, has been battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer since September.
“Even though we can’t do all the things we used to do, we’re still valuable,” Archie said.
Watch: Mental health in the United States
Archie’s diagnosis was an unexpected and overwhelming obstacle, but he decided to focus on what he can control.
“There is a purpose to this,” Archie said. “I don’t know what it is necessarily at this point, but
I know my faith is strong. I know that’s what keeps me going.”
Genine Adams is the president of the Jacksonville chapter of the National Pancreas Foundation.
She lost her mother to pancreatic cancer, so she has made it a personal mission to highlight the realities, especially in the African-American community.
“By the time they found it, there was nothing they could do,” Adams said. “She was not a candidate for any treatment. So for me, I feel like we need to educate ourselves. We need to know more. We need to get the information out and know their bodies when something isn’t right.”
Watch: Major donation to Nemours Children’s Hospital
Pancreatic cancer is the 11th most common cancer in the US and the third deadliest type of cancer.
“This is not the kind of cancer people get, oh, you’ll get better,” Archie said. “This is the one where people say it was great meeting you.”
Here are some signs to watch out for:
- Abdominal pain
- lose weight inexplicably
- Yellowing of the skin or eyes.
- light colored stools
- dark colored urine
- Skin itch
- New diagnosis of diabetes or existing diabetes that is becoming more difficult to control
- blood clots
- Fatigue
Experts say people with diabetes or other health problems are at particularly high risk, as are those who smoke and drink heavily.
About 60,000 people a year are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and about 48,000 people a year lose their battle with the disease.
The National Pancreas Foundation has been in existence for more than 20 years.
“We really need more funding for research to have better treatment options, options to identify cancer earlier so that we have a fighting chance,” Lewis said. “The National Pancreas Foundation has been at the forefront of trying to do that.”
For those currently struggling: you are not alone.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
“I’m operating in a space of faith that I didn’t even know I could,” Archie said. “My human self is looking at my faith self as if in the world we need to be rolling on the ground. I am really focused on bringing glory to God through this process. God has me.”
Click here to find out more.
