Thank you for visiting our Personal Fundraising Page. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to make a contribution to our fundraising efforts. Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!
We will be spending the first six months of 2010 eating, training, working, training, sleeping ~ repeat for our first Ironman which consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mi run = 140.6 miles (thus our revised fundraising goal of $1,406). Our goal is to stay healthy so we can get to the starting line and enjoy each moment of the day (it will be a long day;))
http://www.ironmancda.com/
This will be a selfish six months so we wanted to find a way to give back during that time and have a strong reason to keep going through the tough times and knew raising money towards Pancreatic cancer research would keep us going.
Heidi's dad, Doug, was diagnosed in April 2005 and passed away September 2007. Her uncle, Jeff, Doug's oldest brother, was diagnosed approx. 1 year after Doug and died February 2009.
Knowing that each of you will be supporting us through this journey by contributing to a cause that is close to our hearts will help get us through many hours of training and race day. We will be thinking of Heidi's dad and uncle throughout the race. The fight they and others went through with this deadly disease will push us to keep going to the finish line.
This is in hope for our family and friends that they will not have another pancreatic cancer story, unless it is about survivial. "Know it, Fight It, End It".
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Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States—and has the highest mortality rate of all the major cancers1.
This year, 42,470 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and 35,240 will die from the disease1. The number of new cases and deaths caused by this deadly disease are increasing not decreasing. By 2030 the number of cases is projected to increase by 55%2.
Unlike other cancers, there are no early detection tools:
- No early detection or screening exam is currently available for pancreatic cancer.
- An estimated 76% of patients will die within one year of diagnosis1.
- 52% of patients are diagnosed with advanced disease that has already spread to other organs3.
Few Risk Factors Are Well Defined4:
- Risk increases two to three fold when a first-degree relative is diagnosed.
- Smoking increases your risk two-fold.
- Adult-onset diabetes can be both a symptom of pancreatic cancer and a risk factor for developing the disease.
- Many symptoms of pancreatic cancer are vague and can be attributed to a variety of other conditions. They include pain (usually abdominal or back), weight loss, jaundice, loss of appetite, nausea, and diabetes.
More research is needed to know it, fight it and end it:
- Pancreatic cancer research is drastically under-funded and as a result, relatively few researchers are investigating the disease as compared with researchers focusing on breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, etc.
- Less than 2% of the National Cancer Institute's budget is allocated to this leading killer.
- The types of cells that make up pancreatic cancer tumors are unique—which contributes to the unfortunate resistance of the tumors to chemotherapies.
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is committed to advancing research, supporting patients and creating hope for those affected by pancreatic cancer. www.knowitfightitendit.org