Edinburgh Castle To Light Up Purple for World Pancreatic Cancer Day

Edinburgh Castle will be lit purple today (Thursday 16th November) for World Pancreatic Cancer Day. 

Pancreatic Cancer Action Scotland supporter Lesley Irving has arranged for the city’s iconic castle to be lit up purple to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer.

Lesley’s mum, Pauline, sadly passed away in June 2020 from pancreatic cancer. Pauline, 72, had been experiencing back pain and following a scan, she received a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Covid-19 restrictions meant that Lesley had to say her last goodbye through the window of Ayrshire Hospice where her mum lived for the last nine weeks of her life. 

Lesley is determined to raising awareness of pancreatic cancer and hopes that shining a purple light on Edinburgh castle will help reach more people and get them talking about the disease.

She said: “I felt lost after Mum passed away and I thought I should focus on doing something positive. I hope that through fundraising for Pancreatic Action Scotland and helping to raise awareness of the symptoms of pancreatic cancer, I can help drive earlier diagnosis and better outcomes for patients.”

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest of all common cancers, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 8%. Every year in Scotland, over 900 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Only 10% of patients in the UK are diagnosed in time for life-saving surgery. 

For Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month (1st-30th November), Pancreatic Cancer Action has launched their #MISSED campaign to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer symptoms to improve the statistics around missed diagnoses.

Pancreatic Cancer Action’s research has shown that despite how deadly pancreatic cancer is, only 54% of people in Scotland know anything about pancreatic cancer.

74% of people in Scotland cannot name a single symptom of pancreatic cancer. Research has also shown that many symptoms are missed, with patients visiting their GP an average of 4 times before being diagnosed.

Learn more about PCA’s Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month campaign #MISSED.

Photo credit: Ryan McEwan