Health & Fitness
Raising Awareness: Good Food, Good Cause.
Local organization Project Purple teams with Antonio's Original Restaurants to raise awareness for Pancreatic Cancer.
It is officially November, a time that many people consider the kick off of the holiday season. As our season has already pounded us with the first snow, it is easy to envision all of the festivities about to take place. November is also commonly known for its “No shave November” which leads to lots of furry faces among the male population. With all this going on, did you know that November is also Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month?
Hearing the name of that terrible disease may spark memories of Steve Jobs and Patrick Swayze who both battled this cancer. While they are the well known celebrities who suffered from the disease, over 44,000 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2011 and over 37,000 will die of the disease in 2011 alone, according to the American Cancer Society. It is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States.
While these statistics are alarming, perhaps the most powerful realization of how freighting this sickness can be comes when someone you know becomes diagnosed. Dino Verrelli of Beacon Falls was faced with the news of his father’s diagnosis in 2008. John Verrelli, a Shelton resident for 15 years, successfully battled the disease but the cancer came back in April 2010 and he sadly lost his fight in September of 2011.
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Dino teamed up with is wife and brother in 2010 to organize Project Purple, which was created with the goal towards raising awareness and funds towards a cure for Pancreatic Cancer.
The mission statement from their Facebook page reads, “To raise awareness and funds towards the cure of Pancreatic Cancer working alongside various local and national organizations with that goal by bringing people together through different events involving an assortment of different running activities.”
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Project Purple has teamed up with the Setaro Family and the Original Antonio’s Restaurants to create an event on Thursday November 3, from 5 p.m. until close. Dine in or take out at any Antonio’s Restaurant location and 20% of the proceeds that night will be donated to Project Purple. Please come out for great food and support a great cause!
For more information on the event visit www.theoriginalantonios.com
For information on Project Purple and to donate, visit their website http://www.run4projectpurple.com/Home_Page.html.
