Maine pancreatic cancer survivor shares message of hope, awareness

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - Nov. 16 is World Pancreatic Cancer Day, which is celebrated annually on the third Thursday of November.

A local survivor is making it her mission to spread not just awareness - but hope.

“I was 100 pounds soaking wet and I didn’t realize why I had lost so much weight,” said Chris Parrish.

Parrish spent five years suffering from symptoms of pancreatic cancer before she was diagnosed with Stage 4 in 2008.

Her prognosis was dire, but she got a second opinion and received life-saving treatment.

When her cancer was finally in remission three and a half years later, Parrish started the Purple Iris Foundation in an effort to give back to people going through all types of cancer.

“I just wanted to spread hope,” she said.

Pancreatic cancer has a five-year survival rate of just 12%. It can be brutal, but Parrish wants patients and families to know they’re not alone.

Purple lights are popping up all over the region for pancreatic cancer month.

“I was driving past the Lafayette Center on 395 and they were purple,” she said. “It brought a tear to my eye because this is the first year they’ve done that. It looks so magnificent. For all the people who are treated there, or who have lost loved ones, that’s just a sign of, ‘We see you. You’re not forgotten. Your loved ones aren’t forgotten. We remember you. To me that’s so important because all cancers are bad, but with pancreatic cancer there just seems to be no hope for people. A lot of people are hopeless when I talk to them, and I try not to leave them that way because there’s always something you can do within your journey to bring about hope. So, those lights are just one more form of that hope.”

Symptoms of pancreatic cancer include extreme pain in the abdomen or back, extreme weight loss, jaundice, loss of appetite, nausea, changes in stool or urine and recent-onset diabetes.

If you have concerns, Parrish urges you to talk with your doctor.

If you’d like to connect with Chris, you can find her through the Purple Iris Foundation’s Facebook and Instagram pages, or at purpleirisfoundation.com.