A Staffordshire woman whose husband died 33 days after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer is raising awareness of the disease.
Seth Goodburn died six years ago and since then his wife Lesley has raised more than £50,000 for Pancreatic Cancer UK in his memory
The 55-year-old from Kidsgrove has trekked the Great Wall of China, held charity balls, sold a series of specially commissioned commemorative ceramics and launched podcasts to raise money and awareness of the disease.
As November marks Pancreatic Awareness Month Lesley wants to do all she can to raise awareness of the disease which is one of the most difficult cancers to diagnose as there are often no symptoms in the early stages. People are often diagnosed, like Seth, at an advanced stage, with 52% of people being diagnosed at stage four. One in four people don’t survive more than a month and 80% don’t live beyond a year.
She said: “When Seth was diagnosed, we knew the outlook wasn’t good. The survival rates of pancreatic cancer have barely changed in 50 years and the impact of the pandemic will further adversely affect these figures. In the UK 24 people die from pancreatic cancer every day, my Seth was one of them, but I don’t want him to be a statistic. His death needs to count. I never wanted Seth to be forgotten and my legacy to him is to do all I can to raise awareness of this deadly disease and to campaign to help get better outcomes for patients.
“Raising awareness of the symptoms is vital to ensure early diagnosis. Those symptoms can include back or stomach pain, weight loss, indigestion, change in bowel habits, and losing your appetite. I know with Covid and lockdown looming people may be worried about contacting their GP, but if they do have symptoms, I’d urge them to make the call.
Lesley said: “Seth was the love of my life and there’s not a day goes by that I don’t miss him or wish he was here. He was just 49 and we had so much planned to celebrate his 50th birthday which we never got to do.
In the six years since Seth died; I have met some incredible, inspirational people whose lives have been touched by this devastating disease. I’ll continue to do all I can to raise awareness of the disease, and as much money as I can in memory of Seth and to continue his legacy,” she added.
To find out more go to www.purplerainbow.co.uk
