In 2012 my father-in-law Jeremy Burn was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. From him thrashing me at tennis (as usual) on the 16th June, to being diagnosed on the 25th June, Jeremy died less than 2 months later on the 12th August. The speed and ferocity of this horrific disease that killed this very fit and healthy 64 year old shocked us all.

Jeremy set up and ran a chain of coffee shops around the South East of England called Boswells. Myself and my 4 brothers-in-law have decided to cycle to each of the 15 branches from Newport in the West, down to Portsmouth in the South, up to Oxford and finishing in Gloucester with all other branches in between. For someone who hasn’t ridden a bike for 5 years and whose exercise regime was wiped out as soon as Sam (now 4) was born, this is a major challenge!!

Some facts and figures about pancreatic cancer:

• Pancreatic cancer is known as the silent killer.  
• It has the worst survival rate of any common cancer – only 3 in every 100 people diagnosed will live for 5 years. This figure has not improved in 40 years.
• This cancer is so aggressive, by the time it’s diagnosed, 90% of people will be told that they are terminally ill and given 6 -12 months to live.  
• Pancreatic cancer is the UK’s 5th biggest cancer killer, yet receives less than 2% overall research funding.  

With a higher profile we hope that more attention and funding will be allocated to this disease. With recent developments in genetics and immunotherapy, it feels at last that significant progress is within our grasp against this terrible disease.