Member Profile: Let’s Win Pancreatic Cancer
In 2014, public relations executive Anne Glauber was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. Anne and her family found that there was a lack of comprehensive information on the internet, making it very difficult to identify the top pancreatic cancer doctors, or even understand the science well enough to get an idea of the best treatment options available. The information and statistics on the internet were daunting and information indicated that then-current treatment protocols had limited results.
Anne was fortunate to find doctors who not only specialized in pancreatic cancer but also were willing to be innovative in their treatments and use new science-driven approaches to combat the disease. She also found leading scientists working to help patients in real time.
Wanting to share this experience with others, Anne imagined an online community sharing new science-driven treatments to help patients and their families have a say in their treatment plans, uncover new possibilities, and find new treatment options. She gathered a team to develop her idea, including her oncologist, Dr. Allyson Ocean, her dear friend Willa Shalit, and Kerri Kaplan, president of the Lustgarten Foundation. When Cindy Gavin joined the team as Founding Executive Director, the project took off, and Let’s Win Pancreatic Cancer launched in 2016.
Let’s Win Pancreatic Cancer is the go-to resource that guides patients and caregivers with vital information for better outcomes. Through a dynamic online platform available in English and Spanish, everyone who is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer—or individuals at higher risk—can have easy access to the most up-to-date knowledge about the disease.
Let’s Win has become a trusted resource for the pancreatic cancer community, providing a wealth of easily understandable, readily accessible, and medically vetted resources to give pancreatic cancer patients and their caregivers clear paths for action as well as much-needed hope.
Let’s Win publishes original stories about pancreatic cancer weekly, with 60 new stories each year in three main pillars: educational information, the latest research, and inspiring patient stories. They also have tools to help families navigate a challenging journey: a comprehensive Doctor Finder to help patients identify pancreatic cancer experts close to home, and a Clinical Trial Finder to connect patients with active trials.
Let’s Win launched their Trial Finder in November 2024, and now they are focusing on refining it. They have learned that ClinicalTrials.gov, the system everyone relies on for information about trials, is riddled with errors. They are exploring ways to enhance their Trial Finder, to ensure better access to the latest clinical trials.
From 2016 through 2024, Let’s Win hosted the PancChat, an X/Twitter chat, in partnership with PanCAN and the Lustgarten Foundation. Because of declining participation and changes to the X platform, they decided to end the X chat format and relaunch the PancChat as a podcast, partnering with PanCAN. Hosted by journalist Alisyn Camerota, the podcast has two 30-minute episodes each month, featuring conversations with pancreatic cancer experts about different topics related to understanding the disease and treatments. The podcast is available on all major platforms: Amazon Music, Apple, Audible, iHeart Radio, Spotify, YouTube, and YouTube Music.
Partners are an important piece of pancreatic cancer advocacy. It is critical for advocacy groups to collaborate and raise awareness—many voices together are stronger than single voices alone. Because each advocacy group has a different focus, Let’s Win can share the work of other groups. By working together, the WPCC members ensure that patients and caregivers get access to the best information or the assistance they need.
The WPCC newsletters that share members’ resources on different topics are very helpful. Let’s Win is always glad to share their information AND to learn what information other organizations have, so they can maximize information for patients and caregivers, and can direct people to the best possible information.
