Dear friends, family and colleagues,

Last September my Uncle, Peter Down, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the age of 62, a month into his retirement.

He underwent major surgery on 15th December 2011 at the Freeman Hospital Newcastle, to have this removed, along with his spleen. His tumour was subsequently found to be an extremely rare type of cancer called "Acinar cell" type, comprising around 1% of all pancreatic malignancies. His condition is being managed and closely monitored, although sadly there is very little reasearch to tell us which treatments are effective for this particular type of cancer.

The news was shocking to all who know and love Pete, and in particular to his wife, my Aunty Maureen, and to Ruth, Daniel and James, his kids; my cousins. What has sprung from this very difficult situation however is the setting up of a charity to help other patients and their families who are faced with this diagnosis. The events, efforts and monies raised in relation to this, so far, have been phenomenal. 

Pete's Pancreas Project is the fundraising effort to finance some research to help people in a similar situation. "The Dowen Trust Fund" has been set up at The Hepatobiliary Unit, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle Upon Tyne. 

I hope that by raising money and contributing to this cause I can help other patients and their families who are faced with this diagnosis 

To help support this I have entered to run the Preston Guild Marathon 2012, on October 28th. The course has been planned to start and finish in the city centre. Running has been my hobby for a while but this is my first event, and certainly my first marathon! It would mean a great deal to myself and everyone involved, or associated in some way, with the Pete's Pancreas fundraising campaign if you could make a kind donation towards it.

 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.