A donation will be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network for every order Sam’s Pizza receives Nov. 1, 2025 — Sam’s Pizza Day for PanCAN.
Annette Fetty-Santilli, community advocate for the West Virginia Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, attended the Oct. 23 Upshur County Commission meeting to proclaim Nov. 1 as “Sam’s Pizza Day for PanCAN” in honor of Bob Nolte, the father of Upshur County Commission President Sam Nolte.
“Since I have been volunteering or checking into it when Jim (Santilli’s brother) was first diagnosed, the five-year survival rate was only 5 percent, and it has risen to 13 percent — obviously still not enough,” Santilli said. “It’s amazing how more money has been put into research, which is what is actually making the difference.”
The Proclamation
Declaring Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, as “Sam’s Pizza Day for PanCAN” in Upshur County, West Virginia;
WHEREAS, for the third consecutive year, “Sam’s Pizza Day for PanCAN” is held in memory of Bob Nolte, who passed away from pancreatic cancer;
WHEREAS, Nov. 1 is designated “Sam’s Pizza Day for PanCAN,” because Mr. Nolte’s birthday was Nov. 1;
WHEREAS, in 2025, an estimated 67,440 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the United States, which equates to 185 people every single day;
WHEREAS, pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, is currently the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and it is projected to become the second leading cause by the year 2030;
WHEREAS, pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers with a five-year relative survival rate at just 13 percent;
WHEREAS, when symptoms of pancreatic cancer present themselves, it is generally in later stages, and 73 percent of pancreatic cancer patients die within the first year of their diagnosis, while 87 percent of pancreatic cancer patients die within the first five years;
WHEREAS, approximately 355 deaths will occur in West Virginia in 2025;
WHEREAS, this is the same disease that claimed the life of former West Virginia Governor William Marland, actor Patrick Swayze, Super Bowl MVP Harvey Martin, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, and the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, just to name a few;
WHEREAS, while overall cancer incidence and cancer death rates are declining, the incidence of pancreatic cancer continues to increase, and is projected to increase by 55 percent between now and 2030;
WHEREAS, the good health and well-being of the residents of Upshur County are enhanced as a direct result of increased awareness about the symptoms and risk factors of pancreatic cancer, and research into early detection, causes, and effective treatments; therefore be it
RESOLVED that the Upshur County Commission declares Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, as “Sam’s Pizza Day for PanCAN” in Upshur County, West Virginia.
