Purple Pansies: A Non-profit Supporting Pancreatic Cancer Patients

Raising Funds and Awareness: Purple Pansies volunteers at the organization’s annual Block Party. Photo credit: Contributed

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most dreaded diagnoses because it is usually caught at such a late stage that it’s hard to treat. Currently the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths – with an estimated 52,740 people expected to die from it this year – it is expected soon to become the second, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.

“The rates are growing, and they are affecting even younger people,” says Maria Fundora, founder of Purple Pansies, a nonprofit that helps people with the diagnosis. “Purple is the color of pancreatic cancer [support], and pansies are resilient flowers that bloom even in the winter.”

Fundora’s mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May of 2007 and died that September. In honor of her legacy, the restaurateur who owns Casa Nuova in Alpharetta decided to host a benefit for Purple Pansies, which raised around $3,000. That modest start has grown into an estimated $8 million philanthropic outfit considered a major player in cancer research in Georgia. It helped to fund the early detection center for pancreatic cancer at Piedmont Hospital, the first of its kind in the Southeast.

“We’re grassroots, all-volunteer and on the front lines.” Fundora says. “If they catch it early, with just the drugs that we have right now to treat it, your survival rate can be more than 80%.”

The group also donates to clinical research and drug trials, supports scholarships for the children of those struggling with it and helps fund basic living expenses.

“We have an emergency grant program in case you need financial assistance paying for medications or bills,” she says. “You apply on our website, and we get back to you within the week. The word ‘impossible’ is not in my vocabulary.”