Grandma inspires cancer fight

November is National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. I encourage you to visit www.knowitfightitendit.org to learn how to take action against the fourth-leading cause of cancer death in our country.

With your help, we will increase the number of our community volunteers and advocates, and urge them to raise awareness and help us raise the cure. By the end of this year, this deadly disease will have claimed more than 35,000 loved ones. Among them notable American's including actor Patrick Swayze, NCAA President Myles Brand and NBA Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly. Whether well known or not, they are all people like us - mothers, fathers, siblings and grandparents in families like yours and mine.

I am writing this note in honor of my grandmother, Irene Patterson. She was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer on July 17. She is a vibrant 81-year-old, who continues to fight. She had no signs or symptoms until 4 days before her diagnosis and then was given 4-6 months to "live." Up until her diagnosis, she worked in her garden every day. She enjoys her eight great-grandchildren each day. She is on Facebook and sends daily texts from her phone to stay connected to her family. She is an amazing woman and my hero. Because her illness is so far progressed, surgery is not an option and chemo did not help.

Please take the time to increase awareness of this disease. These are real people who are suffering; they need our help to increase awareness.

Heather Westberg

Glen Ellyn