{"id":394837,"date":"2026-09-09T15:08:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T15:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/394837\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T15:08:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T15:08:18","slug":"in-conversation-nadine-aleman-affiliate-chair-miami-affiliate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/394837\/","title":{"rendered":"In Conversation: Nadine Aleman, Affiliate Chair, Miami Affiliate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Nadine <\/p>\n

Nadine (center) with PanCAN President & CEO Julie Fleshman, JD, MBA (left) and PanCAN Chief Scientific and Medical Officer Anna Berkenblit, M.D., MMSc. (right).<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: Affiliate Chair Nadine Aleman spoke with PanCAN\u2019s Paula Mukherjee about her volunteer journey and steadfast commitment to improving the lives of everyone impacted by pancreatic cancer. <\/p>\n

Paula: What is your connection to PanCAN\u2019s mission<\/a>? <\/p>\n

\"Nadine\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n

Nadine\u2019s late father, Eddie.<\/p>\n

Nadine: My father, Eddie, was diagnosed<\/a> with pancreatic cancer<\/a> in 2003. He was only 46. He passed away the following year. <\/p>\n

Paula: How did your father get diagnosed? <\/p>\n

Nadine: He was experiencing a lot of back pain, one of the symptoms of pancreatic cancer<\/a>. He was also seeing a GI doctor for indigestion and other digestive issues, another warning sign for pancreatic cancer. <\/p>\n

When his eyes became yellow from jaundice<\/a>, we took him to the ER. He was subsequently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. <\/p>\n

We were told he had about nine weeks to live. We were absolutely in shock. <\/p>\n

Paula: When did you find PanCAN? <\/p>\n

Nadine: My story is like many others in the pancreatic cancer community. <\/p>\n

\"At<\/a><\/p>\n

At PanCAN Community Conversations: Miami, FL \u00b7 2025, Nadine spoke about her father\u2019s diagnosis and shared the stage with local pancreatic cancer experts, a survivor, and PanCAN leaders.<\/p>\n

When my father was diagnosed, my family and I were not familiar with the disease at all. We didn\u2019t get a lot of information about pancreatic cancer or guidance on where to learn more, so we searched online and came across PanCAN<\/a>. <\/p>\n

I reached out for information and support in 2003 and have been involved with the organization since then. <\/p>\n

Paula: How would you describe your father? <\/p>\n

Nadine: He was a wonderful father. I\u2019m the oldest of four siblings. He was very involved in our lives. <\/p>\n

He was the rock of our family, and we all looked up to him. <\/p>\n

He loved the outdoors; he was a nature geek and worked at his dream job in the Florida Everglades. <\/p>\n

He was a funny guy and loved by everyone who knew him. We miss him immensely.\u202f <\/p>\n

Paula: After learning about PanCAN, what inspired you to get involved as a volunteer? <\/p>\n

Nadine: PanCAN was founded in 1999, so it was still a young organization at this time. I realized that they didn\u2019t have anyone in the Miami metro area sharing information about pancreatic cancer or the resources available through PanCAN. <\/p>\n

I connected with PanCAN staff members who encouraged me to start doing outreach<\/a> here. My role was outreach coordinator. I still have my old business card with that title! <\/p>\n

PanCAN sent me a box filled with fliers, pamphlets and all kinds of purple items to hand out. I remember very clearly showing the package to my father. He said, \u201cWow, that\u2019s hope in a box.\u201d <\/p>\n

That\u2019s always stuck with me. <\/p>\n

Paula: There was no PanCAN affiliate in Miami at this time. What did volunteering look like? <\/p>\n

\"PanCAN<\/a><\/p>\n

PanCAN Miami Affiliate at a local PurpleStride fundraiser.<\/p>\n

Nadine: With no other PanCAN volunteers in my area, this was a new path I started on my own, with PanCAN staff support. Together we searched for community events where I could set up a table and hand out informational materials. <\/p>\n

I had two young kids at the time; my son was six and my daughter was two. It was challenging to be a solo volunteer while raising young children, but I did events for PanCAN here and there. <\/p>\n

I remember doing an event with a local news station, NBC Six South Florida<\/a>, for a few years in a row. It was a health expo, and I was there to share resources about pancreatic cancer and PanCAN. I had a table and I remember my young kids hiding underneath it while I handed out information! <\/p>\n

I later took a step back from volunteering while I was raising my children. I still stayed connected with the organization and what is now the Miami Affiliate. <\/p>\n

About four years ago, I decided to step back in and get more actively involved in a volunteer leadership position. I had more time because my youngest was in high school (now college) and my two oldest children had already graduated from college. <\/p>\n

Paula: How has it been to witness the affiliate and PanCAN PurpleStride Miami grow? <\/p>\n

\"Nadine\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n

Nadine\u2019s PurpleStride team, Team Eddie Rodriguez.<\/p>\n

Nadine: When I first started as a volunteer, I couldn\u2019t recruit a lot of other volunteers while also doing outreach. There were other groups of volunteers who came in later and shaped the affiliate and PurpleStride into what they are now. <\/p>\n

They\u2019ve been very successful in recruiting new volunteers and expanding the reach of the affiliate. It\u2019s been amazing to see and to be able to step back into an affiliate that has expanded so much. <\/p>\n

Paula: You\u2019re now the affiliate chair for the Miami Affiliate. What drew you to that role and what does it entail? <\/p>\n

Nadine: I reached out to the staff partner for the Miami Affiliate a few years ago when I decided to become a more involved volunteer again. I wanted to do more, but the affiliate chair role was not really on my radar. I\u2019m an introvert and overseeing the entire affiliate was something that scared me, but I decided to do it. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a new experience to take on this role. I focus on keeping our affiliate running smoothly, holding meetings, keeping us active in the community and recruiting new volunteers. <\/p>\n

I\u2019ve now been in this role for four years! I feel like I\u2019m getting the hang of it. <\/p>\n

We have a wonderful bunch of volunteers who have been staying strong for years \u2014 I really appreciate them. They keep me going. <\/p>\n

Recruitment is an ongoing effort, and we are always looking for new volunteers. I\u2019m excited to get into the community more and continue adding new volunteers to the affiliate. The more volunteers we have, the better our events will be, and the more hands we\u2019ll have to reach out into the community. <\/p>\n

I really appreciate anyone who can give their time to help. Your capacity to volunteer can change as your life changes, as my experience shows. <\/p>\n

Paula: When you meet others who have been impacted by pancreatic cancer, how do you introduce them to PanCAN? <\/p>\n

Nadine: When I meet someone new, I like to hear their story and connection to this cause. It\u2019s important for them to know that we understand what they\u2019ve been going through. <\/p>\n

I also really like to share the meaningful impact that volunteering with PanCAN has had on my life. It has helped me grow. I want them to see that they can also grow from the pain they\u2019ve experienced and help their community. <\/p>\n

I feel like I\u2019ve gained more from volunteering than I\u2019ve put in. <\/p>\n

Paula: How so? <\/p>\n

Nadine: I think about how volunteering has benefited not just me, but my family. My whole family participates. I\u2019ve done that with my kids since they were very little; they\u2019ve always helped at events. I\u2019ve been able to teach them the value of giving back. <\/p>\n

\"Team<\/a><\/p>\n

Team Eddie Rodriguez at PanCAN PurpleStride<\/p>\n

My mom, sisters, aunts, uncles \u2014 they all contribute, and I can see how our lives have benefited from that. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a very good feeling to work together for a cause that\u2019s so important to us. <\/p>\n

Paula: It sounds like volunteering with PanCAN is a tribute to your father, a way to teach your kids the value of giving back, and a shared experience with your extended family. <\/p>\n

Nadine: 100%. We\u2019ve all gained a lot from it. <\/p>\n

Paula: Thank you, Nadine, for everything you do for the PanCAN community! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nadine (center) with PanCAN President & CEO Julie Fleshman, JD, MBA (left) and PanCAN Chief Scientific and Medical…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":394838,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-394837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=394837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/394838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=394837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=394837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=394837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}