Four summers ago, Keesha Sharp found out that her mother had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer — the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in America. Sadly, her mom died this August.
However, Sharp, who starred as Monica on this hit sitcom “Girlfriends,” and has more recently been seen on “Empire” and “The Good Fight,” is turning her grief into action. She has teamed up with the Pancreatic Cancer Collective, a joint initiative of Stand Up To Cancer and the Lustgarten Foundation to help promote pancreatic cancer clinical trials.
“My mom eventually tried them toward the end. She was so sick, and yet, she felt like it was working,” Sharp tells Variety. “She was given one to three more months to live, but it was still too late for her.”
“The experience is still very raw for me; I want to call my mom every day,” she continues. “But I think that helps me, because it gives me hope. It gives me something to fight for.”
Related Stories
VIP+What Film Fund From AI Startup Runway Means for Content’s Future
Christopher Ciccone, Artist and Brother of Madonna, Dies at 63
The Pancreatic Cancer Collective debuted a PSA on Nov. 19 to close out Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, following the launch of Stand Up To Cancer’s health equity initiative inviting patients from diverse races and ethnicities to benefit equally from treatments available through clinical trials.
Popular on Variety
Sharp adds that it’s personally important for her campaign to reach the Black community, because Black Americans have a 20% higher incidence rate than any other group.
To recharge from a grueling year, Sharp acted in a Christmas comedy movie that is set to debut in December. Looking to the future, she hopes to continue using her platform to share resources and give hope to pancreatic cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones. “I just want to save other mothers and fathers and sisters, brothers and children out there,” she says.
Through the Pancreatic Cancer Collective, Stand Up To Cancer and the Lustgarten Foundation have jointly funded more than 400 researchers studying pancreatic cancer at roughly 70 institutions in the U.S. and the U.K., working to improve diagnosis of the disease and find new treatments.
Read More About:
Jump to CommentsMore from Variety
Mark Shopiro, Dan Slepak, Hwei Loke Elevated as Prime Video Tweaks Management in Canada, Australia and New Zealand
Flaws in Guilds’ Success-Based Streaming Residual Already Clear
Nicholas Pryor, ‘Risky Business’ and ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ Actor, Dies at 89
Maggie Smith, Star of ‘Downton Abbey,’ ‘Harry Potter,’ Dies at 89
How YouTube and Netflix Copied Each Other’s Homework
Kris Kristofferson, Country Music Legend and ‘A Star Is Born’ Leading Man, Dies at 88
Most Popular
Inside the 'Joker: Folie à Deux' Debacle: Todd Phillips ‘Wanted Nothing to Do’ With DC on the $200 Million Misfire
‘Menendez Brothers’ Netflix Doc Reveals Erik’s Drawings of His Abuse and Lyle Saying ‘I Would Much Rather Lose the Murder Trial Than Talk About Our…
‘Kaos’ Canceled After One Season at Netflix
‘Joker 2’ Axed Scene of Lady Gaga’s Lee Kissing a Woman at the Courthouse Because ‘It Had Dialogue in It’ and ‘Got in the Way’ of a Music…
Saoirse Ronan Says Losing Luna Lovegood Role in ‘Harry Potter’ Has ‘Stayed With Me Over the Years’: ‘I Was Too Young’ and ‘Knew I Wasn't Going to Get…
Kamala Harris Cracks Open a Miller High Life With Stephen Colbert on ‘The Late Show’
Kathy Bates Won an Oscar and Her Mom Told Her: ‘You Didn't Discover the Cure for Cancer,’ So ‘I Don't Know What All the Excitement Is About…
Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried to Star in ‘The Housemaid’ Adaptation From Director Paul Feig, Lionsgate
‘Skyfall’ Director Sam Mendes Says James Bond Studio Prefers Filmmakers ‘Who Are More Controllable’: ‘I Would Doubt’ I’d…
Kamala Harris Watches Maya Rudolph’s ‘SNL’ Impression, Praises the Mannerisms: ‘She’s So Good!’
Must Read
- Film
COVER | Sebastian Stan Tells All: Becoming Donald Trump and Starring in 2024’s Most Controversial Movie
By Andrew Wallenstein 3 weeks
- TV
Menendez Family Slams Netflix’s ‘Monsters’ as ‘Grotesque’ and ‘Riddled With Mistruths’: ‘The Character Assassination of Erik and Lyke Is Repulsive…
- TV
‘Yellowstone’ Season 5 Part 2 to Air on CBS After Paramount Network Debut
- TV
50 Cent Sets Diddy Abuse Allegations Docuseries at Netflix: ‘It’s a Complex Narrative Spanning Decades’ (EXCLUSIVE)
- Shopping
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Sets Digital and Blu-ray/DVD Release Dates
Sign Up for Variety Newsletters
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Variety Confidential
ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXN8jp%2BgpaVfo7K4v46knJ6rmJZ6tLTAq6dmqJGjsLOxwK2gnGWTlruksdFmmqiknJqwtbXVnmSsrJGjsW7Bz2arqGWTlruksdFmnqKqnJu%2FqrHNnapmaWJogXmAkWxvbmc%3D