By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Most know that pink is the official color for breast-cancer awareness.

If somebody asked you which cancer-awareness campaign uses purple … would you know the answer?

Many more people in the area do, because of Prudential Northwest Realty‘s 48-year-old Dawn “DJ” Jump, who is being treated for, and working to raise awareness of, pancreatic cancer.

If you haven’t heard much about pancreatic cancer, you’re not alone. (I hadn’t, until my mother was diagnosed with it 13 years ago.) Not to imply any cancer is a “good” cancer, but cancer of the pancreas is an especially “bad” one. Because of where the pancreas sits in your digestive system, it’s seldom diagnosed early, and the tumor often is too close to vital arteries/other organs for doctors to safely remove. As a result, the 5-year survival rate is 5 percent. But somebody’s gotta be in that five percent – so in an expectation that she’ll be part of it, DJ is undergoing chemotherapy now, shrinking her tumor to get to an operable point (with surgery already scheduled for December), and fighting with so much spirit, her support website is called “CancerDiva.com.”

Right now, her co-workers want to get the word out that you can support her by buying tickets ASAP for an upcoming benefit – it’s in early October, but they need to know by next week how many people can come.

That’s not the only way they’re supporting her – read on to see one vivid example (and to find out more about the benefit and other ways to help):

DJ’s Prudential NW teammate Alice Kuder shared the video of a surprise she and others gave her – a purple paint job for her office:

The writing on the wall says “Live With Passion” … her slogan, as you will see if you read the online journal she is keeping about her cancer fight. She also updates friends via her “Cancer Diva” Facebook group, and says she plans “to write a book after I’m all done, ‘A Diva’s Guide to Surviving Cancer’.”

DJ says her tumor is in a “very, very rare location,” top of her pancreas, attached to the main artery, but “the chemo has shrunk it over 50% so we are well on our way to where we need to be. I was told that the ONLY cure for pancreas cancer is surgery. I’m undergoing 6 months of chemo prior to surgery to insure they have killed any cancer cells that could come back. I will beat this tumor no matter what it takes!”

Her online journal goes back to her diagnosis in May, after which she had to tell her sons (she shared this family photo):

Four months have passed, and numerous chemotherapy sessions. We talked with her by phone on Thursday to follow up on e-mail exchanges. Speaking to us toward the end of a chemo session, DJ said she’s in good spirits (and sounded that way!), but knows it’s a challenging fight, to say the least.

The main function of the upcoming fundraiser is to help with surgery costs – it’s the only known cure for pancreatic cancer, when it’s even operable in the first place, and it’s not a simple surgery. So friends have been working to organize the benefit event. Since purple is the color of pancreatic-cancer awareness as decreed by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), that’s the genesis of “My Big Fat Purple Benefit.” DJ used to work in south King County, so a venue to the south has been chosen, Three Chicks Catering in Tacoma, 5 pm October 7th, with dinner, wine/beer, music, dancing, karaoke, a silent auction, and a dessert auction.

Tickets are on sale at cancerdiva.com (along with other opportunities to donate, including being a wine sponsor for the event, and/or contributing cash via PayPal). If you have questions – or auction items to donate! – contact ValerieACarey@msn.com.

Meantime, DJ is continuing to tell her story – and to live it. She has chronicled recent successes, such as drops in her “cancer markers,” and has her sights set on that December date with surgeons – right after that October 7th date with you.