NEW YORK (CBS 2) – Every minute, someone in the United States dies from cancer.

Friday night, CBS will participate in “Stand Up To Cancer,” a telethon raising both money and awareness about the disease. CBSNewYork.com has your preview.

Howard Young was living the dream. The Atlanta beer distributor had a business he loved and a family he cherished.

“I thought I was bulletproof,” said Young. “Just felt like everything was going along great.”

Then came a devastating diagnosis: Pancreatic cancer.

“I think the first Web site I looked at said it’s a virtual death sentence,” Young said.

Dr. Daniel Von Hoff of the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in Phoenix had already developed Gemcitabine, one of the few effective treatments for pancreatic cancer.

At the request of Stand Up To Cancer, Dr. Von Hoff joined forces with another leading cancer expert, Dr. Craig Thompson of the University of Pennsylvania.

“They had the clinical expertise, we had the scientific expertise,” said Dr. Thompson. “Together, we could really make a dream team.”

Now, with an $18 million grant from Stand Up To Cancer, this team of doctors may give Howard Yuong, and many other patients, a second chance at life.

Tune in for the Stand Up To Cancer Telethon Friday night at 8 p.m. on CBS 2.