In honor of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month, 23-year-old Fort Smith native and current Miss America Madison Marsh stopped by the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute on Wednesday morning for a meet-and-greet with physicians, staff and patients.
“Friday … is the first day of November, but it also marks the sixth anniversary of my mom’s passing from pancreatic cancer,” Marsh said to those who had gathered in the institute’s lobby. “So I’m here to … meet all the different people, meet patients and hopefully get to talk about my mom’s story and what my plans and hopes are for our entire state (in terms of) what we can bring to all pancreatic cancer patients.”
Two weeks after her mother’s passing from what is currently the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, Marsh and her family created the Whitney Marsh Foundation in her mother’s honor. Located in the pageant winner’s hometown, the foundation is designed to educate the public on pancreatic cancer and raise funding for research and treatment efforts.
“We saw that there was a problem within our state. … How do we detect patients? How do we help them? How do we keep families together during treatment? Because no one should have to travel outside the state of Arkansas to receive the care that they desperately deserve,” Marsh said.
During her visit, Marsh met with several patients who are receiving chemotherapy in the institute’s Infusion Center B, while also taking time to speak with nurses and physicians, such as Dr. Sonia Orcutt, the institute’s director of Surgical Oncology.
“As someone who’s lost a family member to pancreatic cancer, it’s really exciting what her platform is for this year’s Miss America,” Orcutt said. “And the fact that she wants to bring more education to patients, to physicians, to students — everyone taking care of patients with cancer … it’s been really nice to watch her today.”
According to Orcutt, limited awareness surrounding pancreatic cancer has resulted in insufficient screening for early detection among the general public, hindering timely diagnosis and treatment.
“Many of the other cancers that we have a lot of funding for, that we have a lot of walks for, are the ones that are very common, like breast cancer and colon cancer,” Orcutt explained. “But (pancreatic cancer) is not very common. And so it doesn’t get a lot of the funding needed for it. And people just don’t know about it until it’s too late.”
Marsh plans to return to Harvard’s Kennedy School in January to complete her master’s degree in public policy and will also continue her research at the Hale Family Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, which is part of Harvard Medical School’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
“I want to bring all those great ideas and the connections from these big mecca hospitals from all around the nation, and bring them right here to our home state. … But also … ensure that the people on Capitol Hill are doing what they’re supposed to be doing,” she said.
A major component of Marsh’s platform is increasing federal funding for pancreatic cancer research, which she believes deserves the same amount of attention given to more common forms of cancer. Marsh said she hopes that increased funding will bring more researchers to the state who can tackle the problem of late detection.
“We are receiving the leftovers from all others every single year for pancreatic cancer, and it’s not acceptable,” she said. “That’s why we’re four decades behind on research comparative to cancers like breast cancer.”
Marsh is also a 2nd lieutenant in the United States Air Force and entered the Air Force Academy less than nine months after her mother passed away. She said going through basic training while grieving her mother was extremely challenging, but she also believes the experience taught her resilience and the importance of serving her community, even in the worst of times.
“How do you serve your community? How do you serve your family? And how do you do that when life gets tough?” Marsh asked rhetorically. “And the answer is leaning on the people around you and ensuring that you are giving back to your community to the best ability that you can everyday.”
