UK Man Hits the Road to Raise Cancer Awareness

All of us know someone whose life has been affected by cancer.

For Dave Wilson, a UK man who has spent much of his life in both Australia and New Zealand, being diagnosed with prostate cancer in his early seventies came as a shocking blow. Like most of us, Dave never thought this could happen to him, particularly since he didn’t have any symptoms at the time. Dave considers himself one of the lucky ones however, because two years after radiotherapy and hormone treatment he is now cancer-free.

In May 2009 Dave set off on a heroic quest to walk around England to raise funds for cancer research so that other cancer sufferers can have similar success stories. The motivation behind this venture was Dave’s wish to give back to the clinicians and cancer researchers that helped save his life, while also promoting the critical importance of early diagnosis and detection for some cancers.

Cancer is a very complex disease and is the leading cause of death in this country (NZ Ministry of Health, 2009, Cancer: New Registrations and Deaths 2005 Revised edition).

What all cancers have in common is that some of the cells in the body become abnormal and begin to grow out of control.

Most cancer treatments target these rapidly growing cells, however cancer remissions are often transient, drug resistance is a growing problem and drug withdrawal can often result in an aggressive return of the disease. The need for improved cancer therapies is therefore paramount.

Numerous cancer research organisations around the world, including the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research in Wellington, are dedicated to discovering more effective cancer treatments.

The goal of cancer researchers at the Malaghan Institute is to develop novel therapies that exploit the specificity and potency of the immune system to treat a patient’s cancer. It is this type of cutting-edge research that will benefit from Dave’s big walk.

Dave is nearing the end of his epic 3000 km walk and desperately needs your support to help him reach his ~$20,000 target. Dave is accepting donations in three countries: for Cancer Research UK, Australian Cancer Research Foundation and in New Zealand, the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research.

ENDS

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