Story
Cumberland FA are delighted to team up with Pancreatic Cancer UK to raise awareness of their fantastic work, raise funds for their lifesaving research and promote the amazing work that they do across the Cumberland grassroots football community.
Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest common cancer with more than half of people diagnosed dying within three months. Whilst survival rates have doubled across the most common cancers, pancreatic cancer has remained sidelined and forgotten.
Around 10,500 people a year are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK, but it has the lowest cancer survival rate with around 9,000 dying every year.
As well as unimaginable odds, patients also face limited treatment options and are often not diagnosed until the cancer is at a late stage. Sadly 7 in 10 people are diagnosed too late to receive any treatment at all which means over half of people with pancreatic cancer die within 3 months of diagnosis.
Many people are left with only hope to hold onto.
Scott’s Story
In April 2024 our Referee Development Officer Scott Taylor was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. In the past few months he has been fundraising for Pancreatic Cancer UK by running a series of half marathons.
Scott has said the below:
I was diagnosed with a rare Neuroendocrine tumour on my pancreas in April 2024. It was found by chance in February 2024 but in hindsight the clues were there as I first visited my GP in June 2022 after I noticed blood in my urine.
The cancer diagnosis came after two months of CT and MRI tests (all very stressful), and at a point when I was in peak physical fitness and regularly running the line on the National League Premier as an Assistant Referee for the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL).
In fact, I ran a 23 min 5km ParkRun two days before my surgery in May 2024, when I had most of my pancreas, my spleen and my gallbladder removed in a 6 hour operation at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, so life changing consequences.
My post operation recovery was not smooth either as I went back and forth to hospital several times with complications and even now almost 12-months on I continue to be tested and monitored.
On the 8th September 2024 I ran my 11th Great North Run (GNR) in a respectable time of 2:36:23 with my good friend Kerry who himself has ongoing major medical and health issues. Not bad for someone only 3 months earlier was having life-saving surgery!!
After the GNR I set myself the challenge of running another four more 1/2 marathons in the remaining months before my operation anniversary on 13th May 2025 and last Sunday on the 6th April 2005 I did that by completing the London Landmarks Half in a time of 2:11:00 having previously done the Manchester Half and Cumbrian Run in October, and the Barcelona Half Marathan in February.
I chose to run for Pancreatic Cancer UK as they go above and beyond for everyone affected by this disease. Right now, half of people with pancreatic cancer die within three months of diagnosis. Families are left with only hope to hold onto.
Scott's own donation page can be found here - https://www.justgiving.com/page/scott-taylor-1725828379037?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=EM&utm_campaign=015
As part of the partnership Cumberland FA and Pancreatic Cancer UK have set up this Just Giving page in addition to Scott's, to enable the grassroots football community (and beyond) across Cumberland to join in the partnership through raising funds their own way supporting this fantastic cause, together. This provides an opportunity for anyone raising funds via Just Giving to feed into the Cumberland FA and Pancreatic Cancer UK running total.