Mindy Kaling has a personal reason to raise awareness for World Pancreatic Cancer Day
Her mom passed away from the disease in 2012.
Mindy Kaling has captivated TV audiences as Dr. Mindy Lahiri on The Mindy Project, now in its fourth season. Kaling’s character is an alter ego she loosely based on her OB-GYN mom, the Cambridge-born star has said. Dr. Swati Chokalingam (Kaling shortened her own last name when she went into acting and writing) worked at Boston’s St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center.
Chokalingam passed away in January 2012 from pancreatic cancer. On Thursday, Kaling tweeted to remind her followers that Friday is World Pancreatic Cancer Day. She asked for people to wear purple and to tweet pictures to her to raise awareness of the disease, and some of her followers have:
[fragment number=0]
[fragment number=1]
[fragment number=2][fragment number=3]
[fragment number=4]
Pancreatic Cancer is the seventh deadliest cancer in the U.S. (and fifth in the U.K.), according to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Multiple Boston-area hospitals have centers that specifically focus on pancreatic cancer treatment, such as Dana-Farber and Mass General.
Keep an eye out for the Zakim Bridge’s show of support tonight, too:
[fragment number=5]
[fragment number=6]
Over the summer, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network held a Purple Stride pancreatic cancer walk through the Boston Common. Keep updated on Boston PanCan events at the affiliate page here.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com