Denver walk hopes to raise awareness, support for pancreatic cancer research

DENVER - Have you or a loved one been affected by pancreatic cancer? Show your support by walking in the annual Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk this November at Sloan's Lake Park.

Meg, Kim and Kara Phillips lost their husband and father, Rich, to pancreatic cancer in 2005. They wanted to honor Rich Phillips in some way, as well as raise money for research for the disease. The Phillips family became inspired by the Lustgarten Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk that took place in Boston and decided to bring it to Denver. Now, four years later, the Phillips family has made a difference by raising $200,000 since 2007 and has brought together the Denver community.

Pancreatic cancer is hard to detect in the early stages, which in turn leads to the deaths of almost 38,000 people a year. Risk factors include family history, smoking, age and diabetes. Symptoms are usually vague and life expectancy after diagnosis is just 3 to 6 months. Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October 2003 and recently passed away in early October of 2011.

The Lustgarten Foundation ensures that 100 percent of every donation given goes directly to pancreatic cancer research. Learn more at http://www.lustgarten.org/.