Whitney’s Race is not just Whitney’s race. It is a race against time for those yet to be afflicted with pancreatic cancer, the most deadly cancer. It is Time To Cure® pancreatic cancer. Whitney’s Time To Cure® has passed. Whitney Marsh perished at age 41, November 1, 2018, ten months after her diagnosis with pancreatic cancer. Five-year survival from pancreatic cancer stands at 12% showing little to no improvement in survival in the past 50 years despite vast medical advances across almost all other cancers. Researchers have found that pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate across all cancers. Diagnosis is often late begetting the need for local medical practitioner education as well as research for improved diagnostic testing and imaging. If patients are diagnosed in time for surgery, their chance of surviving 5 years or more increases ten-fold. Once a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer has been made treatment usually involves chemotherapy with or without radiation therapy followed by curative intent surgery followed by more chemotherapy.
Whitney was scheduled for surgery, but the day before surgery a CT scan showed cancer had spread. She died within 4 months of the CT scan while re-starting chemotherapy and running 8-10 miles or biking 30-40 miles per day. Even the super-healthy are no match. Early diagnosis and improved pre-operative treatment options are the future. Whitney’s Race will fund the Whitney Marsh Foundation Inc for local education and equipment purchases as well as national research for pancreatic cancer. Approximately 70% of the proceeds will be apportioned locally this year and the remainder with the internationally renowned pancreatic cancer research center, MD Anderson. Whitney’s Race is a race against time for a neighbor and perhaps a family member. It is Time To Cure® pancreatic cancer.
We raised over $230,000 since our start in 2019. The Whitney Marsh Foundation Inc, a 501(c)(3) organization, donated $85,000 to the MD Anderson Pancreatic Cancer Moonshot program. The foundation also donated $95,000 each to Mercy Hospital Fort Smith and Baptist Hospital Fort Smith, and $20,000 to the Ronald McDonald Fort Smith location. The remainder of the monies raised paid for expenses for last year’s race and a reserve for this year. This year we will reverse the donation percentages to donate more locally for early pancreatic cancer detection equipment purchases. The monies you donate will be well spent.
