FULL MOON FULL LIFE

Country stars Jamey Johnson, Jessi Colter, and Shooter Jennings will headline the first annual Full Moon Full Life concert series in Austin, Texas on Tuesday, May 20, 2014 at The Backyard Live Oak Amphitheatre. Some of their Texas friends lending their time and talents to this show include Ray Benson, Lukas Nelson, Paula Nelson, Cody Canada, Waylon Payne, and more. Showtime is at 7 p.m., with a live auction following the concert. Tickets for this event are $35 and can be purchased at thebackyard.net. All proceeds from this benefit go to the Nikki Mitchell Foundation to aid in its effort to prevent, detect, and cure pancreatic cancer. The theme for this event will be "A Night of Influence: A Celebration of Waylon Jennings and Hank Cochran." Waylon, who died in February 2003, will be inducted into the Texas Songwriter's Hall of Fame later this year. Hank Cochran, who died of Pancreatic Cancer in 2010, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this month.

As everyone knows, cancer has become an all too common occurrence in our lives. We all know someone who has battled one form or another of this ugly disease. With many new treatments being found and detection tests being developed, we are hearing some better news and happily seeing an increase in survival rates in many areas. But this is not true for every cancer. Pancreatic cancer is one of the exceptions.

Pancreatic cancer doesn't get the same press time as breast and lung cancer, mainly because most people don’t even know where the pancreas is or what it does, much less how devastating this cancer diagnosis is. The pancreas is an organ located in the abdomen behind the lower part of the stomach. It secretes enzymes which help your body digest food, especially the hormones responsible for regulating your body’s metabolism of sugars. Pancreatic cancer is difficult to diagnose. There is NO Early Detection Test currently available for pancreatic cancer. It typically spreads rapidly and is seldom found while still in its early stages, making its survival rate extremely low. Because of these factors, 73% of the people diagnosed die within one year, with the 5 year survival rate at only 6%. The rate of pancreatic cancer has been increasing over the past 10 years, resulting in it becoming the 4th leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. today. While the National Cancer Institute allocates only 2% of its budget to pancreatic cancer research, it estimates that in 2014 alone over 46,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer will be diagnosed, resulting in nearly 40,000 deaths. This horrific disease is taking lives and we need to do something to stop it. That’s where the Nikki Mitchell Foundation comes in.

Nikki Mitchell was a very courageous and adventurous woman. She was the President and CEO of Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter Music for 23 years. During that time, Nikki made a name for herself as she co-captained a single-engine plane as it circumnavigated the northern hemisphere during the Bridge of Wings flight in 1998. Nikki was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December 2010. She fought a courageous battle, but ultimately lost her fight in July 2013. Nikki had a dream of saving others from this devastating disease, and so her friends established the Nikki Mitchell Foundation. This foundation is working to find the means for early detection of and the ultimate cure for pancreatic cancer. With ties to both country music legend Waylon Jennings and Hall of Fame singer-songwriter Hank Cochran, who also lost his battle with pancreatic cancer, the Nikki Mitchell Foundation has strong musical roots. Jessi Colter, Shooter Jennings, Suzi Cochran, and Jamey Johnson all work tirelessly with this foundation, supporting Nikki’s dream. And now they are asking for music lovers to help them in this difficult battle against pancreatic cancer. You can help do your part by attending this worthwhile and fun event. Let’s show everyone that the “Live Music Capital of the World” cares about ending pancreatic cancer.