Local team Canoe the Wye for Pancreatic Cancer
Tom Garland, 18, from The Forest of Dean, will be canoeing 100 miles over 4 days down the River Wye and its rapids to help raise vital funds and awareness for Pancreatic Cancer Action. Tom will be joined by his 14-year-old brother Nic, along with friends Owen and Harvey.
The team will start their adventure on the 23rd August in memory of Tom and Nic’s uncle, Geoff Waite, who sadly passed away from the disease just 3 days after diagnosis.
Tom says, “PCA is a charity very close to our heart, we lost our uncle to pancreatic cancer within days of diagnosis. He had no clue he had it.”
“Since then very close family and friends have also been affected with this cruel silent killer. Raising awareness is a key positive thing we can all do. Our uncle was the kindest person we all knew and we are doing it for him.”
Pancreatic cancer is the UK’s 5th biggest cancer killer. The survival rate is just 5% which is the lowest of any cancer.
Pancreatic Cancer Action is committed to working towards earlier diagnosis of the disease so that surgery, currently the only cure, is made available to the sufferer. The charity fund research into early diagnosis, provide medical education programmes, and launch awareness campaigns.
Ali Stunt, Founder of Pancreatic Cancer Action, said: “This is an incredible challenge that Tom and his team are taking on and we are so grateful that they are helping to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer Action.”
“We rely solely on donations from the public and thanks to people like Tom and his team that we can continue our vital work. We wish them the best of luck and are excited to see how they get on.”
You can sponsor Tom and his team here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tomnicgarland
See how you could get involved with fundraising events here.