PanKind, The Australian Pancreatic Cancer Foundation has launched the national Remember September campaign aiming to raise awareness and funds for pancreatic cancer, a disease that is now the third biggest cancer killer of Australians.
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Remember September encourages people to stand with those lost to the disease, and those fighting to survive, by giving up a vice of your choosing like caffeine, sugar or alcohol, or choosing to walk 63km over the month of September to honour the 63 Australians that pancreatic cancer claims each week.
The campaign was originally started by brothers David and Ben Wilheim who set up the challenge after losing their father to pancreatic cancer in 2014, a year after the disease also claimed their cousin Danielle at age 33, surviving just 6 weeks post diagnosis.
Michelle Stewart, PanKind chief executive said "Remember September provides a unique opportunity for Australians to help solve one of our country's fastest growing health concerns, pancreatic cancer. Survival rates are unacceptably low and it is a devastating disease with dire statistics. Investment in research is critical to increasing the very low survival rate, yet funding remains desperately low".
Pancreatic cancer is the third most common cancer killer in Australia and has a devastatingly low five-year survival rate of only 10.7 per cent.
Last year the disease claimed almost as many lives as breast cancer. Almost 4000 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, and 80 per cent of patients will die within 12 months.
It has the lowest survival rates of all main cancer types.
In its seventh year, PanKind's Remember September campaign is rolling out in all major capital cities as well as regional centres around Australia.
The Remember September Challenge has raised almost $480,000 for pancreatic cancer research to date and Australians are encouraged to take up the challenge or support a challenger. Challengers can Give It Up by removing caffeine, sugar or alcohol from their diet, or alternatively Move It by walking 63km over the month of September. A "Purple Pass" is provided to all participants, which allows a night off the challenge for a special event.
Registration and information: www.rememberseptember.org.au
PanKind, The Australian Pancreatic Cancer Foundation is exclusively dedicated to pancreatic cancer with a mission to triple the survival rate by 2030 and dramatically increase the quality of life for patients and their families. We aim to achieve this through a strategic focus on raising awareness, collaboration to increase progress and investing in ground-breaking medical research.
