A Vision for a Future Without Fear

This November, during Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, PanCAN invites you to join our movement to turn science into survival. Through All Together We Can, our five-year, $250 million campaign, we are investing in breakthrough research, expanding patient support and advocating to accelerate progress and help more people survive pancreatic cancer. In this blog post, get to know Betsy Mordecai Heyman, a PanCAN donor who lost her father and grandmother to the disease.

When Betsy Mordecai Heyman thinks about pancreatic cancer, she thinks about her family.

Her father, Daniel Mordecai, died from the disease in 2002. His mother had also died from pancreatic cancer, making the disease a painful part of her family's history. Those experiences have shaped Betsy's understanding of just how urgently more research, earlier detection and better treatments are needed.

"If you look at the data between pancreatic cancer and other cancers, the percentage of people who live any significant length of time is nil," Betsy says. "We need to do a lot of research, and it needs to be heavily invested in."

She knows how frightening a diagnosis can be for patients and the people who love them. Too often, pancreatic cancer is discovered when the disease has already advanced, leaving families with few options and little time.

"The moment you hear the words pancreatic cancer, everyone's face just falls," she says.

For Betsy, that reality makes continued investment essential. She recognizes the promise of recent scientific advances, including RAS-targeted therapies, but believes there is much more work to do.

"All diseases need research funding, but this one needs it the most," she says. "We know there's a lot to be thankful for right now, but progress is still too slow."

Carrying a Legacy Forward

Betsy's commitment to PanCAN is also rooted in the example set by Janet, her mother figure and a longtime supporter of the organization.

Janet believed in helping people and gave generously to the causes she cared about, including PanCAN. Having grown up with very little, she understood the difference support could make in someone's life. Her nursing background also informed the empathy and compassion she brought to her philanthropy.

"She gave millions away because she just wanted to help people," Betsy says.

Janet's generosity influenced the entire family. After her passing, Betsy and her siblings continued supporting causes that mattered to them, using donor-advised funds to carry on their own philanthropic commitments. Betsy remains dedicated to the organizations Janet championed while also supporting causes that reflect her personal priorities.

For Betsy, continuing that work is a way to honor Janet's values while helping others. And when it comes to pancreatic cancer, the mission is especially close to home.

Betsy understands that her family's history may put future generations at risk. That knowledge gives her investment in research an added sense of urgency.

She also believes genetic testing is important and encourages people to consider it. While testing cannot answer every question or eliminate risk, she sees knowledge as one part of being better prepared.

Progress Happens Together

Betsy is drawn to PanCAN's approach to changing the future of pancreatic cancer. Through PanCAN's $250 million campaign, All Together We Can, PanCAN is bringing supporters, researchers, clinicians, patients and families together around a shared goal - turning science into survival for everyone affected by the disease.

"I like a holistic approach, working together for one common goal," she says.

That collaboration matters because no single person or organization can solve the challenges of pancreatic cancer alone. Research must continue to advance, patients need access to information and support, and families need help navigating an often overwhelming diagnosis.

Betsy points to PanCAN Patient Services as an important part of that effort. When someone contacts PanCAN, they can connect with a Case Manager who helps them understand their options, find resources and navigate the disease.

"If you call PanCAN, you get a Case Manager helping you find the right tools to navigate the disease," she says. "It's just incredible."

She sees Patient Services as part of a broader care team, helping patients and families find guidance when they need it most.

"You can't do everything on your own, and I like to see PanCAN as part of your care team."

Imagining a Different Future

Ultimately, Betsy wants pancreatic cancer to become a disease people no longer associate with an almost inevitable loss.

"I want to see a future where when someone says pancreatic cancer, you don't look at them like they're dying," she says. "I want to see a much better five-year survival rate and not at 13%."

That future will require sustained investment, continued research and a community committed to working together. It will require earlier detection methods, better treatments and more opportunities for patients to live longer, fuller lives.

For Betsy, philanthropy is one way to help make that future possible. Her family's experience has shown her what is at stake, while Janet's example has shown her the power of generosity to make a difference.

Through her continued support of PanCAN, Betsy is helping carry both lessons forward. She hopes that one day, families facing pancreatic cancer will have more time, more options and far more reason for hope.

And she believes getting there starts with a shared commitment to keep investing, keep working together and keep pushing for a different outcome.