It's been dubbed the silent killer, but by making some noise and splashing some colour there is hope for change.
East Maitland nurse Brandon Harvey lost his nan Helena to pancreatic cancer three years ago.
"It's such a cruel disease," Mr Harvey said.
"There's not enough talk about it. We constantly hear about breast and prostate cancer in the media.
"Pancreatic cancer is never really shown. We need more awareness and early detection measures."
Mr Harvey organised a "wear purple day" on Friday at Maitland Hospital, where he works.
He urged colleagues to wear purple scrubs and dress in purple clothing.
"I've got people involved on my social media as well," he said.
He has a big following on TikTok through his handle @empathbrandon.
His nan died at age 72 on the day of her wedding anniversary.
"It was also the day of my first placement as a nurse," he said.
"It was obviously very sad. To see her suffer, as one of the good people in society, was heartbreaking."
His nan was a strong person, even up until she passed.
"She was always positive. She said I'm going to beat this cancer, the cancer is not going to take me," he said.
She would say her strength was due to "her Polish blood".
"She came from Poland at around age three. She lived at Greta Migrant Camp for a bit, then moved to the Maitland area."
Helena survived for 22 months with a terminal diagnosis.
She went through chemotherapy and tried a new treatment in the months before she died.
But after one round of the new treatment, her stomach became swollen.
"They couldn't do any more for her, as her cancer had spread.
"She was put on the palliative pathway."
In Hunter New England, 839 people were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer from 2017 to 2021.
Over this period, 675 people died from the disease. This compared to 643 deaths from breast cancer, 852 from prostate cancer and 905 from colon cancer.
Lung cancer took the most lives in this period, with 2069 deaths recorded.
PanKind - the Australian Pancreatic Cancer Foundation - said its cause received a fraction of the funding that breast and prostate cancer attracted.
PanKind CEO Michelle Stewart said pancreatic cancer was a "silent killer" and "notoriously challenging to detect early".
"Its initial symptoms are vague and non-specific," she said.
"Without early diagnosis, many patients are diagnosed when their disease is at an advanced stage, leaving them with limited treatment options."
She said eight out of 10 people diagnosed with the disease lost their life within a year.
"Only 12.5 per cent survive five years or more. These statistics are simply unacceptable.
"PanKind is determined to change them."
It aimed to triple survival rates by 2030 through research "focused on early detection and the development of new treatments".
Mr Harvey is fundraising for Pankind this month, which marks Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.
