People often ask us, “How do you work on pancreatic cancer? Isn’t that really hard?”
The truth is that, at times, it is. But it is also profoundly hopeful.
At the recent PRECEDE Gala, Advisory Board member Jessica Everett reflected on how our community improves each year — becoming better at identifying risk, acting on new information, and detecting cancer early enough to change someone’s future.
Hope is not theoretical for us. It is the difference between a birthday missed and a birthday celebrated. Last year, one patient never reached her 39th birthday. This year, because of early detection, one patient did.
This mission is about moments like that. This mission is about hope.
Ivy Duneier’s Story — “Precede Is the Reason I Am Standing Here”
Few stories illustrate the power of early detection more clearly than Ivy Duneier’s who was honored with the Voice of Hope Award at the PRECEDE Gala
Initially told she had pancreatitis, Ivy sensed something was wrong. When she met with Dr. Diane Simeone, PRECEDE Chief Scientific Advisor, that instinct was validated. Dr. Simeone immediately recognized that the diagnosis didn’t quite make sense. That insight — grounded in decades of research — led to the discovery of Ivy’s early-stage pancreatic cancer.
Ivy describes how terrifying it was to hear the words, “You have cancer.”
But because her cancer was found early, she had something many patients never receive: a fighting chance.
“On the days when I was scared, uncertain, and weak, the only thing I had to hold onto was hope — hope that maybe I would get through this.”
Today, Ivy stands as living proof of what hope, awareness, and research can make possible.
She shared that PRECEDE not only saved her life but also gave her purpose. It helped her understand the importance of genetic research — research that gives people like her a chance at survival.
No one wants cancer to define their story. But Ivy has chosen to use her experience to help others — to be a voice of hope, for more days, more memories, and more time.
She also offered a powerful reminder:
Ivy reminded us that we stand on the shoulders of the warriors who came before us — those who fought and those who passed from this cancer. They, too, are part of this community.
Why We Keep Going
The PRECEDE community — clinicians, researchers, patients, families, and supporters — is united by a shared purpose: to change the trajectory of pancreatic cancer through early detection and groundbreaking science.
Every discovery.
Every data point.
Every early diagnosis.
Every life saved.
Each one is proof that progress is real.
This work is reshaping the future of pancreatic cancer. It is showing the world what becomes possible when science, collaboration, and hope come together.
A Future Built on Hope
Hope is not passive. It is action. It is research, innovation, and the unwavering belief that we can change what is possible.
The PRECEDE community stands together in that belief. We honor those who came before us, support those fighting today, and work tirelessly for those who will need us tomorrow.
We are here to ensure more people get to celebrate birthdays, more families get more time, and more stories like Ivy’s become possible.
And we are just getting started.
