Soap opera director Sonia Blangiardo joins Mark for a discussion about how cancer effects a family. The Carlo Blangiardo Foundation (www.carlosgoal.org) for pancreatic cancer research was founded in 2010, shortly after her brother Carlo died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 35. He battled the disease for three years.

The foundation was started for a multitude of reasons. First of all, Carlo was an amazing person. He was kind and generous with his time, was caring and compassionate, and he had a love for all who crossed his path. I wanted his name to live on so that everyone who was lucky enough to have had him in their lives, and his two surviving daughters, one of whom was born after he passed, can always feel like a part of him was still here. This isn't too difficult, because when Carlo was in a room, everyone knew it. He was sweet and charming and was always capable of captivating a crowd big or small, with his sense of humor and overall light heart.

Pancreatic cancer is a cancer with no cure. Part of the reason is that it is nearly impossible to detect until it is in an advanced stage. It is one of the leading causes of death. Its symptoms vary and are very ambiguous – nausea, weight loss, jaundice… just to name a few. Its cause is also very vague. Factors like family history, diabetes, being middle-aged and smoking (none of which by the way fit my brother’s profile) are some of the few links to the disease.
When I started the foundation, I wanted to raise money and awareness in early detection. We need to find better tests so that by the time it is discovered, we can easily cease further development.

My goal is to make my brother’s name equivalent to Susan G. Komen in the pancreatic cancer world. I want his life…and death...to have had had the significance and meaning it deserved. The pain he went through as he fought this battle tooth and nail for three years before ultimately losing, is a pain I want to take away from others in the future. I know with complete certainty, he would have wanted the same.