FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shawn Collins/EXTEND COMMUNITY
855.306.8818
[email protected]
EXTEND COMMUNITY Creates Website for the Darrell Ragland Foundation, Connecting Faith and Medicine
EVANSVILLE, INDIANA— With EXTEND COMMUNITY’s recent launch of the Darrell Ragland Foundation for LIVING with Pancreatic Cancer Website, patients, families, friends, supporters, and medical professionals are benefitting from the resources, links, and inspirational messages the site offers. Established in 2015 as his living legacy, the Darrell Ragland Foundation is an Evansville, Indiana not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping others navigate their cancer journey. In 2002, Darrell Ragland was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors, which is also known as Islet Cell Tumors, and affects 12,000 people annually. On day 40 of a 55-day hospital stay involving multiple procedures, Darrell’s doctors informed him, “There’s nothing more we can do for you.” However, with his unshakeable faith in God, Darrell knew he needed more than medical care to survive. Following clinical trials, radiation, palliative care, and an abundance of faith, Darrell now reports, that 13 years later, “My oncologist said that the cancer is stable with noticeable improvement. I am not dying from cancer; I am living with cancer.”
Team members of EXTEND COMMUNITY, the community-focused branch of the Evansville, Indiana-based EXTEND GROUP, were impressed by the faith and positive attitudes of Darrell and his wife, Karen, as well as their willingness to reach out to others experiencing medical issues. Among the features of the site are resources that connect visitors with organizations providing travel and lodging assistance for patients and families during medical treatments. In Darrell’s own words, he tells site visitors that their donations to the “Team ‘Raggs’ Campaign,” will, “raise awareness of pancreatic cancer symptoms, encourage research and clinical trials, provide key facts for early detection and teach the importance of health and wellness. Together we win!” States EXTEND GROUP Founder and CEO, Shawn Collins, “Darrell’s grace inspired us to turn a serious disease into an opportunity to elevate awareness, and with hope, help save lives. EXTEND COMMUNITY was proud to create a Website that provides the ease of use and functionality that better serves site visitors, volunteers, and donors. ” To that end, the site is completely responsive in design, making it easy to view and navigate via any device the user chooses. It also gives supporters a secure method of making donations through the site, via PayPal. To further engage the community, the site features a volunteer sign-up form, Pancreatic Cancer FAQs, risk factors, and information regarding medical treatment. Darrell Ragland enthuses, “We are so grateful for the opportunity to partner with EXTEND COMMUNITY for the development of our website. The team was a pleasure to work with and provided useful recommendations on how to best structure and design our site to achieve the greatest visual impact. Thanks to EXTEND COMMUNITY, we now have a website that helps us promote The Darrell Ragland Foundation’s mission, vision and core programs throughout the local community and beyond. The site will serve as a useful communication tool for us for many years to come. “To access the site, visit thedarrellraglandfoundation.org
