“In October 2017, Dave and I will be spending 23 days in the Nepal Himalayas as an adventure fundraiser for ACRF. We’re doing this extended trek in memory of Dave’s dad, Len. Len sadly passed away unexpectedly last year following investigations for a pancreatic tumour.
Len was such a welcoming and caring man. He felt like a second father figure to me from early on in my relationship with Dave. For Dave, Len wasn’t just his father, he was his supporter, friend, confidant, teacher and handyman! Len’s dedication to his family was paramount. He worked hard to show this until the end.
Dave has a large family so at times it can be chaotic but Len was always the sea of calm. He was laid back, warm-hearted and known for his goofy smile. Len also had a passion for the water – lakes, seas and oceans. He was a keen sailor and loved going to the beach to watch the ripples and waves.
Since Len’s passing, we’ve been wanting to do something to help improve the detection, diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer. Supporting research into this disease seemed to be the best way. Dave and I looked for an event that would challenge us physically. We both love travelling, hiking, camping, snowboarding – just about anything that gets us outdoors really so we chose to do an adventure fundraiser. During our trek through the Nepal Himalayas in October, we’ll be visiting the Mt Everest base camp, crossing three passes and ascending three peaks along the way.
David and I are no strangers to cancer as we are both doctors, currently working at Townsville hospital. Dave is training to be an emergency medicine specialist and I’m a general surgeon. ACRF is one of the leading organisations when it comes to contributing to cancer research, and has a reputation to match. Research is what provides medicine with the ability to understand, detect, diagnose and treat these diseases, and without that ongoing research, we can’t improve on what we already have.
Cancer highlights how unexpected life can be, how quickly things can change, and forces you realise that even those people in our lives that seem so permanent, strong and stable – like our parents – are mortal too. We miss you Len, your time with us was all too brief” – ACRF supporter Tess.
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