The 16th Annual Lustgarten Foundation New York City Walk for Pancreatic Cancer Research was held Sunday in Battery Park City.
CBS News New York’s Jenna DeAngelis served as emcee of the event.
Celebrating the power of community, doctors, scientists, patients, supporters and survivors are taking steps together to transform pancreatic cancer into a curable disease.
“When I was diagnosed, the survival rate was less than 7%. Right now, it’s up to 13.8%,” pancreatic cancer survivor Edward Blackburn said. “So in that short period of time, it almost doubled, and that’s phenomenal.”
Each person at the 16th annual walk had an inspiring story, like Lily Green, who was diagnosed at 23 years old.
“The message is that there’s always hope and … there’s always new things coming,” she said.
“We really have better therapies now for patients so they will survive longer, and that is what we are pushing towards,” Lustgarten Foundation CEO Linda Tantawi said.
The Lustgarten Foundation has been a driving force in advancements in pancreatic cancer research, thanks in large part to money raised at events like Sunday’s.
Blackburn, a 9/11 first responder, said the nonprofit funded the trial he took part in.
“Without research, there’s no clinical trials. Without clinical trials, there’s no new advancements in cancer medications and cancer treatments,” he said, “and that’s what we need because that’s what saved my life.”
“The future is just unlimited when people get together … and I’m very optimistic about the future,” said Dr. Elliot Newman, chief of surgical oncology at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute at Lenox Hill Hospital.
The impact of the annual walk is immense; over the past 16 years, it has raised nearly $4.5 million and counting.
Visit hope.lustgarten.org/event/newyorkcity/search-for-a-fundraiser to donate. Every single dollar raised funds cutting-edge pancreatic cancer research.