Hello Folks!

In 2012 I 've celebrated my 70th birthday and third year of survival with my third Hose Village run for Pancreatic Cancer UK  I was again accompanied, and easily beaten, by daughter, Jo and several American students and faculty from Harlaxton College.

I 've always been a runner but the charity part of it began on 29 July 2009, when Ian Beckingham (IJB), Consultant Surgeon at Nottingham's Queens Medical Centre, had me on his operating table for around 7 hours for the highly complex Whipples Procedure to remove several part or whole organs.  Surgery is the only known 'cure' for pancreatic cancer but barely 1 in 6 cases of the disease are suitable for surgery.

Today and every day in the UK, about 21 people are diagnosed with PanCan; only one of them will be alive in 5 years.  Patrick Swayze described it as  "the most deadly, untreatable cancer you can get".  It was as true for him as it was for Steve Jobs, Luciano Pavarotti, Magnus Magnusson and so many more.  Finding ways to treat cancer costs money and many forms have rightly received enormous fund-raising support, but not pancreatic.  Most now claim a survival rate far in excess of 50%, but not pancreatic.  It's a 'Cinderella' cancer and with no such support its survival rate stubbornly remains at a pathetic 3%.

I told IJB, himself a runner like (but much better than) me, that if he 'got me right' I would run my next event for his charity, Pancreatic Cancer UK.  Thanks to his brilliance,a good family, a lot of luck, and perhaps a little effort myself, I made good my promise and just 8 months later I ran in the 2010 Hose Village 4.5 mile run and raised close to £2000.  Further runs in 2011 and 2012 have pushed that total nearer to my next target of £3,000 (or more!).

If my luck holds out I will be running again in 2013, perhaps accompanied by a grand-daughter(s) and other Pettifors.

Please help me to raise funds for this forgotten cause.  The disease can strike anyone, yes . . . ANYONE.  It needs funding support; not for me, so far one of the rare lucky survivors, but for the many thousands who will fall victim and won't be as lucky.  Surely, it mustn't continue to be a matter of luck?

Most people have known someone who lost their life to pancreatic cancer.  With your financial support, medics and researchers can continue their work to help more to survive.  I and they are grateful to you.

Cliff

P.S  To encourage donors, and show my gratitude, I will add 5p to every £ donated, so come on, make me pay !!

Another P.S  The pictures show the 'athlete' (?)

(1) with most of the Harlaxton 2012 team

(2) with daughter, Jo

and (3) giving a celebratory and 'thank you' wave