(Craig's Cause)

By Alessia Proietti

Run/walk postponed to Spring 2023

Craig’s Cause shines light on pancreatic cancer in Red Deer

Oct 4, 2022 | 3:58 PM

For the first time, Craig’s Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society is shining a light on the illness in Red Deer.

The 5 km Kicking PancreAS evening run/walk was initially schedule for October 1 as the national organization’s introduction to Western Canada; however, the event was postponed to spring 2023 due to low registration rates and Hurricane Fiona. With its headquarters in Atlantic Canada, organizers say flights were cancelled to Alberta prior to the run.

Founder Stefanie Codon-Oldreive said Red Deer was the perfect city to host the run due to its high level of community spirit, participation and volunteerism.

After her father Craig was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2006, she said there was very little information in Canada on the illness. Her father passing away two months later, Codon-Oldreive created a website to raise funds for pancreatic cancer research in his memory. The website blew up, she says, raising $10,000 and later became a registered non-profit, now having raised nearly $4 million and hosting numerous runs across the country.

She says the most difficult part of the cancer journey was not only the speed at which it affects the body but also the stigma around the type of cancer, with most patients being told to “go home and get their affairs in order”.

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“There’s a real urgency. As soon as you’re diagnosed, you’re really told either you have a terminal illness and these are the treatment options available, very minimal amount, or you do have a curative possibility and you have opt for surgery but even the surgery is a life-altering surgery. The pancreas, by many surgeons, is called the ‘beast in the abdominal cavity’ and many surgeons also call the surgery the ‘atomic bomb of surgery’ because it is such an aggressive surgery,” she said.

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, pancreatic cancer is expected to be the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the country in 2022. They state 10 per cent of those diagnosed will survive for at least five years. In Alberta, it states that 340 men and 300 women are projected to be diagnosed, with 270 and 260 deaths respectively. The Canadian Medical Association Journal claims the reasoning is due to the limited progress in early detection and new treatment.

Codon-Oldreive says, however, that those affected should not give up on treatments as they could at least increase the quality, and potentially the quantity, of life for patients. The first step, she says, is getting a biopsy to determine which type of tumor under the umbrella of pancreatic cancer must be treated. Other treatments include immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and neo adjuvant therapy, among others, as well as participating in clinical trials for advanced options.

Alisson Gonzalez, Marketing Coordinator for Craig’s Cause, says the yearly walks allow the organization to spread awareness on the cancer and its symptoms such as yellow skin or eyes, changes in stool and unexplained weight loss.

“There’s not that much information out there and it [pancreatic cancer] gets confused with other kinds of things like pancreatitis. A lot of people that have pancreatic cancer are given a wrong diagnosis and that delays the process a lot because they do not start the right treatment,” she said.

(Craig’s Cause)

Local teacher and volunteer race director for the cause, Meagan Clarke, knows exactly what that’s like.

Having lost multiple family members to cancer, the most recent was her mother, Carolyn Gordon, who received a misdiagnosis, later discovering she had kidney cancer. Spreading rapidly to the rest of her body, Gordon did not live to her 10 month expectation, passing on January 11, 2022 during the difficulties of the pandemic.

“In the last 5 years, I have lost a stepdad, father, and mother all to cancer and have been dealing with grief for a long time – I still am. Through my grief, I have moments of empowerment where I feel called to connect with the community and advocate for cancer research,” she said.

Clarke describes her mother as an energetic and passionate woman with a zest for life who would do anything to help someone in need, including her family.

She says her hope for the walk is to educate others on how fast pancreatic cancer, and others, can sweep in and turn someone’s life upside down.

“I hope this walk/run unites an already strong community,” she said. “We rally together and support one another. I think this cause can allow us to support those touched by pancreatic cancer – and any cancer really. Cancer touches so many lives each year and it’s time we change that,” she said.

Early registration will be open for the postponed run/walk. Participants will be doused in purple light, the color representing pancreatic cancer, and are encouraged to have fun in costumes, teams and other unique wear for the nighttime event.