The Ron Foley Foundation, based in Connecticut, USA, was established by Barbara Foley in 2010 in memory of her husband Ron Foley, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2005.

 

The mission of the Foundation is to alleviate human suffering caused by pancreatic cancer. The Foundation focuses its efforts on three areas: funding scientific research leading to the early diagnosis, improved treatment and ultimately a cure for pancreatic cancer; raising awareness of this terrible disease among medical professionals and the general public; and providing financial aid directly to needy pancreatic cancer patients and their families.

The Foundation provides seed funding for early-stage medical research and sponsors multiple pancreatic cancer health education seminars for the public, as well as lectures and symposia about the disease for medical professionals, students and researchers.

The relationships the Foundation has established through the WPCC have helped efforts to develop a caregivers network. The Foundation is also formalizing a consortium among pancreatic cancer medical professionals and research facilities within Connecticut and surrounding states.

Established in 2012, the Foundation’s “Ron’s Rescue” program addresses the dire financial circumstances of pancreatic cancer patients in New England, New York and New Jersey, who can no longer work while undergoing treatment. Healthcare professionals help identify needy patients and assist them through a streamlined application process. Grants are given to individuals following an expedited review of their application. Speed is critical in getting aid to patients who are often unable to pay rent or afford adequate food, clothing and other life essentials. We encourage WPCC members to contact the Foundation to learn more about the program or for any suggestions to improve Ron’s Rescue. And we ask the WPCC for help in addressing the financial needs of working-class pancreatic cancer patients.

The WPCC is a perfect forum for all of us to share ideas and to work together as we all create opportunities and the HOPE to change the direction of those affected by pancreatic cancer.  The Ron Foley Foundation looks forward to deepening our relationships with members for the invaluable exchange of ideas, procedures and best practices.

For more information about the Ron Foley Foundation, please visit www.ronsrun.org and contact info@ronsrun.org.

Members of the EuropaColon Slovenija board of directors

EuropaColon Slovenija, founded in 2007, is part of an umbrella organization called Digestive Cancers Europe. It is located in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. As evident from the name, the organization began with a focus on colorectal cancer patients, but today all digestive cancers are included, with a particular focus on pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer has the lowest five-year relative survival rate at a mere 4 percent, having remained the same for the last 40 years. That is the main reason the organization has started activities in this area.

Its main goal is to raise awareness within the general public about this cancer, in hopes that more patients can be diagnosed in early stages with a better chance of long-term survival. Also, educating healthcare professionals ranks high among the priorities of EuropaColon Slovenija.

As a part of the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition, EuropaColon Slovenija is eager to gain knowledge and share ideas with other member organizations about awareness campaigns, fundraising, patient support programs, pancreatic cancer care, etc.

A nationwide awareness campaign is currently in development that will include the Demand Better theme. The organization’s leaders would appreciate hearing the experiences and suggestions of others in order to be more successful.

Pancare Foundation in Australia was established in 2011 to improve patient outcomes in a variety of ways. Its flagship event is the Walk for Hope

Born out of a desire to see better outcomes for people fighting pancreatic cancer, Australia’s Pancare Foundation was established in 2011 by prominent Melbourne-based surgeon Dr. Mehrdad Nikfarjam.

“I could see that improving outcomes was dependent on better research,” Dr. Nikfarjam said. “Facing a pancreatic cancer diagnosis can be an incredibly isolating experience — our hope is that by connecting with Pancare, no one has to face it alone. Pancare was established to be a voice for those affected by the cancer — by advocating for new treatments and early detection, supporting research and good clinical trials in addition to patient support services.“

In Australia, the five-year survival rate is just 8.7 percent — a figure which constantly drives the Pancare team to take up the challenge to deliver better outcomes.

In 2019, Pancare will expand and launch key services that will impact more Australians fighting the disease. The foundation supports a Familial Pancreatic Cancer Screening program with two major hospitals for individuals recognized as being at higher risk of developing the disease. The goal is to expand this service to other major hospitals throughout the country. Also launched will be a Pancreatic Cancer Specialist Nurse to provided dedicated support from diagnosis and throughout treatment for people fighting the disease.

Also in store for 2019 is the foundation’s flagship event, the Walk for Hope, taken national — giving people impacted by pancreatic cancer a chance to walk in hope for a better future.

The Cities Race against Pancreatic Cancer is a fundraiser for Pancreatic Cancer Asociation in Spain.

Pancreatic Cancer Asociation in Spain began in January 2015 in memory of the late Carmen Delgado and Olga Lamarca, both of whom battled pancreatic cancer.

It is the first Spanish and Hispanic-speaking association exclusively dedicated to this disease.

All the members collaborate in an altruistic way.

The Asociation has three objectives: to gather funds for research of the disease, to inform and support patients and their relatives, and to raise awareness and consciousness about effects and the need to palliate the disease.

Its source of funding mainly comes from The Cities Race against Pancreatic Cancer. The first race took place in Alicante in 2015, and then Madrid joined. Now it takes place in three Spanish cities, and Milan and Bologna in Italy have also joined.

These funds are entirely dedicated to research grants. With our grants we have already donated 200.000 euros to promising research projects, and some are already delivering results.

To support patients and relatives, the Asociation has created two types of online gatherings. Some are exclusively for patients, where they can talk freely about how they feel. Other sessions are for both patients and relatives, where they can ask questions to a collaborating oncologist.

Another objective is to help patients with their nutrition habits. We have developed a food and healthy Lifestyle Guide that we provide free of charge to patients, relatives and supporting professionals, which has become fundamental for many of them.

Since 2016, the Pancreatic Cancer Asociation in Spain has been a member of the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition (WPCC). They recently participated in the annual meeting of WPCC in Miami, Fla.

In the words of Asociation president Cristina Sandin, “We have to gather forces and work in a coordinated manner in the world to achieve greater awareness of the disease to gain on early diagnosis and better treatment, considering that 95 percent of the patients do not survive due to late diagnosis and the tumor´s resistance to conventional treatments available.

“To belong to the WPCC is a great satisfaction. It makes us feel that we are not alone and that together we can make a difference.”

The vision of Pancreatic Cancer UK is that everyone with pancreatic cancer survives to live long and well.

Each year, Pancreatic Cancer UK helps thousands of people across the UK by providing information and support, funding world class research and campaigning to improve the quality of care for people with pancreatic cancer. Its vision is that everyone with pancreatic cancer survives to live long and well.

Pancreatic Cancer UK is the longest running pancreatic cancer charity in the UK. Founded in 2003 by Susan Ballard a few years after she lost her husband to pancreatic cancer, it was registered as a charity in 2006.

Pancreatic Cancer UK provides expert, personalized support and information through its website, a range of publications and via its Support Line — the only Support Line dedicated solely to pancreatic cancer in the UK.

The organization funds innovative research across the UK to find the breakthroughs that will change how we understand, diagnose and treat pancreatic cancer.  A number of projects are well-underway, and the organization also recently announced the awarding of its largest-ever research grant, the Pancreatic Cancer UK Grand Challenge. The recipients are Professor Nick Lemoine, a leading pancreatic cancer expert, and a team of researchers at Barts Cancer Institute and King’s College London. Together they are focusing on an extremely promising area of research called immunotherapy, building on 20 years of research in the field.

In addition, Pancreatic Cancer UK campaigns for change; for better care, treatment and research; and for pancreatic cancer to have the recognition it needs. They do this through major campaigns such as Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, and they Demand Better for patients and their loved ones on a daily basis. For instance, by working with the pancreatic cancer community, their Promoting Innovative Practice initiative seeks to identify new developments in care and treatment that can potentially improve patients’ outcomes. They will highlight and share these examples among health practitioners and call for their adoption across the NHS in the UK.

The WPCC was established to bring about transformative change for those affected by pancreatic cancer. This is very much aligned with Pancreatic Cancer UK’s mission, so they are delighted to be a part of that change both in the UK and on a global scale.