PanCAN shared on X:
“This National Parents’ Day, we honor the parents whose love, guidance and legacy continue to inspire action.
For PanCAN volunteer and advocate Monica M., honoring her parents means carrying their memory forward through advocacy after losing both of them to pancreatic cancer.
Looking back on her journey, Monica shared,
‘Back then, my advocacy was fueled by raw, overwhelming grief. Today, it comes from a quiet, steady purpose.’
That purpose is deeply rooted in the love she has for her parents and the impact they had on her life.
‘If you never met my Maa, imagine someone with a warm heart, a sharp mind and zero patience for excuses. She was a loving disciplinarian who gave us strong roots and high expectations. At the same time, she was the anchor of our home and the person who first taught me to read and write, instilling a lifelong love of literature in me. My dad carried that same principled discipline, but his passion was science. A devoted Trekkie, he was fascinated by discovery, logic and the universe. While Maa taught me how to feel and imagine through stories, my dad taught me how to think, question and explore through science.’
Today, Monica says her advocacy is about more than remembering how her parents died.
‘It’s no longer a reaction to their passing on, it’s a way to carry their legacy forward.’
To everyone celebrating a parent, remembering one or missing one today, we’re holding you close. Thank you to community members like Monica who continue to turn love into action and help create hope for families facing pancreatic cancer.
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