Purple Pansies for pancreatic cancer

By Joan Janzen

Every year purple pansies are sold to raise funds for research, clinical trials and early detection of pancreatic cancer. The money is also used to provide financial assistance to families in our local communities who have a loved one suffering from pancreatic cancer.

For the past decade, the Oyen Greenhouse has been growing the pansies from seed. Every year in January, Pam Kosolofski from Eston lets the greenhouse know how many pansies she and her helpers will be selling, so the greenhouse can plant the seeds sometime in February.

“When we first started, I sold 195 plants,” Pam said. This year she ordered 3000 plants!

The Purple Pansies initiative was founded by Maria Fundora, who lost her mother to pancreatic cancer in 2007. Purple Pansies was a way to honour her mother, spread her lesson of compassion, and carry on in her footsteps by helping others afflicted by the disease that took her life.

Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of all cancers but receives only 6 percent of research funding, which is why this fundraiser is so vital and popular.

“It’s a big job, but a worthwhile one,” Pam said. She’s been raising funds ever since she lost her husband to Pancreatic Cancer in 2011. Every spring she picks up the pansies from Oyen Greenhouse and brings them to Eston, Eatonia, Kindersley and Rosetown, where the orders are picked up. Owens and Sweitzer generously donates the use of a trailer to assist with this project.

Cora Knuttila from Eatonia is one of Pam’s helpers. “I got involved with this fundraiser about five years ago. My father died of pancreatic cancer when he was in his early 60s, so this is a cause near and dear to my heart,” she said. “The first year, I think I sold 28 packs; this year, I am over 500! We get our flowers from the Oyen Greenhouse, and they are beautiful!”

Pam also has a friend in Saskatoon who sells some of the flowers, and her niece and daughter are busy selling in Airdrie. The flowers also can serve as a nice Mother’s Day gift.

Every year Pam keeps increasing her order, which has doubled since 2018. “We made up to $10,000.00 the last couple of years. It’s a good fundraiser,” she said. “It’s quite a bit of work when I stop to think about it.”

No matter how much work it may be, the work continues in an effort to raise awareness and keep hope alive.