“Shows how vicious the disease is”
Jog Jan for Pan Can participant, Olivia, tells us why she's jogging in this year's event!
I decided to sign up for Jog Jan for PanCan in memory of my beloved dad, who was sadly taken by the silent killer which is pancreatic cancer almost nine years ago.
My dad went from being a healthy man in the prime of his life in 2012 to devastatingly being given a stage 4 diagnosis and three months to live, which shows how vicious the disease is. His determination to find a treatment that would help him live was indomitable. I remember the first symptoms he experienced included back pain and abdominal pain.
At present, there are no general screening tools, which is why it is vital to spread awareness and recognise the signs and symptoms earlier. We can save more lives from this awful disease and save many more loved ones if more people become aware of the overlooked primary symptoms. As the symptoms of pancreatic cancer can be hard to spot, it’s vital to not delay a visit to your GP if you are experiencing common symptoms. It is also so important to spread awareness of the signs, symptoms and risk factors of pancreatic cancer in order to increase survival rates and close the deadly cancer gap.
Dad did live a year after his diagnosis and sadly passed in 2013 at the age of 49.
Jog Jan for Pan Can has been a great way for me to get back into running again and I will definitely keep it up after January. The main thing about this fundraiser is the fantastic cause behind it and raising funds to support the research and equipment to identify this horrific disease earlier and give people a better chance to fight it. While I run, I also remember my dad and all the great times we had.
Olivia will be continuing to Jog throughout January for our Jog Jan for Pan Can event. As part of this, Olivia has shared her running tips: “My top tip for running would be to start off slow and ease it into it by identifying your pace. Another tip that helps me whilst running is to find a good upbeat playlist that motivates me throughout the run.” You can donate to Olivia’s fundraising page here.
