We are doing the Tough Mudder for Damion who is a 38 year old husband to one of our dear ex colleague Emily Burbank. They have two beautiful girls together, aged 5 and 3 years who adore their father. In August 2016, they were devastated to learn that Damion has an extremely rare pancreatic cancer called acinar cell carcinoma (of unknown primary). This extremely complex type of cancer is found in only 1-2% of patients with pancreatic cancer.

Although this type of cancer originated from the pancreas, the primary tumour has not been found despite multiple scans, and it had spread to Damion's liver, ribs, pelvis and spine. To fight the aggressive nature of the cancer, in September 2016, Damion started a very intensive course of chemotherapy to control the disease. In November 2016, we were given the amazing news that the large tumour on the liver had shrunk by about 30% in response to the chemotherapy. In February 2017, Damion underwent surgery to remove half of his liver along with the large tumour, two smaller tumours and his gall bladder. The next scan showed no sign of disease anywhere within the abdominal areas and also that the bone areas were dormant.

Unfortunately, their world collapsed again after the latest scan results in September 2017. The bone areas are active again, and new tumours have also appeared in the spinal and rib areas and a suspect 1cm lesion was found on the liver. Damion is about to complete six more cycles of chemotherapy to get the disease under control. This type of chemotherapy, however, cannot be sustained in the long-term as it severely weakens the immune system, can cause other serious health problems, and increases the risk different cancers appearing due to the toxicity of the treatment.

After this cycle of treatment is complete, the only option for Damion if he stays with the NHS is palliative care involving chemotherapy and radiation treatment. This will not address the underlying issues and the prognosis for this approach is very poor.

Furthermore, the continued reliance on chemotherapy and radiation will not only increase the risk of other serious health problems but will also destroy the quality of Damion’s remaining life.

To give Damion the best chance of a longer life in better health, he has been exploring other treatments and therapies offered at reputable clinics abroad. All of the clinics offer the latest cutting-edge treatments, which include immunotherapies, stem cell therapy, cryo-therapy, targeted chemotherapy, non-evasive radiation, regional and whole body hyperthermia, proton therapy and many others. Certain treatments available to Damion will depend on the outcome of genetic testing of his tumour tissue and on the funding raised. The cost of Damion's initial treatment is detailed below. We are aiming to raise around £52,000 in the first instance to cover the cost of genetically appropriate testing and the first cycle of treatment, which includes a 9 month after-care home treatment plan. Additional costs that could be incurred include bone scans, ultrasounds, surgeries, blood transfusions, x-rays and lab work.

Various fundraising events will be held throughout the year to help meet the target.