Mindy Kaling reveals advice her mother gave her before she died of pancreatic cancer in 2012 in a new PSA

She lost her mother Swati to pancreatic cancer in 2012.

And on World Pancreatic Cancer Day Thursday, Mindy Kaling paid tribute to her mother in a new public service announcement to raise awareness about the disease.

“Before I died, I asked him to give me as much advice as possible. The most important thing she told me was to always be my own best friend, ” the 41-year-old actress said.

Wearing a purple dress and looking straight into the camera, the The Mindy Project star explained, “ When I was growing up my mom was always there for me. We shared everything together, so when I found out she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer it was one of the most difficult times of my life.

“ We did everything we could for her, but we just didn’t get it in time. ”

Her mother, OB / GYN in Boston, died eight months after her diagnosis.

“ I stand here today with my mother in spirit, to continue her fight by advocating and supporting research that advances early detection and treatments for pancreatic cancer patients and their families, ” declared the star.

“Because when we do this, we are giving those who are fighting today a chance to live a life my mother did not have.

Kaling is now a mother herself, having welcomed her daughter Katherine Swati in December 2017 and her son Spencer last September.

Earlier this week, she opened up about the thoughtful gift she received from famous friend Reese Witherspoon after the birth of her second child.

“ I felt like when I got back from the hospital there was a wonderful gift for Spencer, with nice clothes and toys, ” she told PopSugar. And that’s why you know a gift comes from Reese Witherspoon – she gave my older child something too. My daughter, who didn’t do anything, also got all these nice clothes and toys.

And she sent us food, so we didn’t have to cook for four days. So, to me, it’s just a Reese Witherspoon-type gift where it’s thoughtful but in a very macro way. Like, she really knows what’s going on in your life. It was awesome to me.

Kaling and Witherspoon starred together in Ava DuVernay’s A Wrinkle In Time released in 2018.

It was revealed in May that Kaling and Parks And Recreation writer Dan Goor has committed to writing a new screenplay for Witherspoon’s highly anticipated Legally Blonde 3.