A TAVISTOCK resident is urging people in the area to 'Turn Purple' for a day on November 1 in order to raise awareness for Pancreatic Cancer. Jean Keast's brother died in August, leaving their family 'devastated'. Ever since, she has been determined to raise awareness of, and begin the fight against, one of the most common causes of cancer death in the UK. Jean said 'My brother died one month ago of pancreatic cancer less than six months from diagnosis. 'As a result his family were left devastated. 'It wasn't until he was diagnosed that I began to research this cancer.' The statistics surrounding this type of cancer really do, as Jean puts it, 'make for frightening reading'. It is the ninth most common cancer in the UK, killing 22 people every day. Yet 50% of people diagnosed have never heard of it. The shocking figures don't end there. Survival rates for pancreatic cancer — also known as Cinderella Cancer, due to the tiny amount of money received for research — have not changed in over 40 years, this figure being just three percent. Even the medical sector is not immune from a lack of awareness, with the symptoms of the condition often being misinterpreted or even missed completely. The list of well known people who have died due to pancreatic cancer is a long one — Patrick Swayze, Pavarotti and Denis Thatcher to name but a few. Pancreatic Cancer Action is a charity that is fighting, alongside Jean, to raise the awareness of this serious condition. On November 1, Pancreatic Cancer Action Day takes place, and Jean's aim of turning Tavistock purple for the day would go a long way to spreading the word locally. Residents can get involved in a variety of ways, ranging from as little as wearing a purple ribbon or purple pansy, the charity's emblem, to decorating a shop or stall entirely purple. Jean will also be holding a cake sale on the day in order to raise some money for the charity. More information of the charity and what it strives to achieve can be found at http://www.pancreaticcanceraction.org">www.pancreaticcanceraction.org where free action kits are available, as well as merchandise such as T-shirts and wristbands. Jean is urging people in the area to make a note in their diaries, November 1, and get involved in the journey to raising awareness of Pancreatic Cancer. After all, as Jean said: 'Every journey starts with the first step'.