Mark Smith and Paula Nunan in training at the South Burnett PCYC at Murgon

April 11, 2014

Everyone knows pink is the colour for breast cancer fundraising … but do you know purple is the colour for pancreatic cancer?

Murgon teachers Paula Nunan and Mark Smith hope that by the end of June, more people in the South Burnett will know this – and know a little bit more about a cancer which has been dubbed the “silent disease”.

The couple plans to ride their mountain bikes from the Barambah Environmental Education Centre (Barambah EEC) to Brisbane to raise awareness about the disease, and raise funds for the Garvan Institute For Pancreatic Cancer Research.

The “Barambah to Bardon Ride For Ian” is dedicated to Paula’s brother-in-law Ian Gray, 64, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May last year and is now in Stage 2 of the disease.

Until recently, Ian had been in remission – two weeks ago he ran two kilometres – but recently the disease flared up again and he is now undergoing more chemotherapy.

The problem with pancreatic cancer is that it rarely causes symptoms in the early stages so it is frequently only diagnosed in the later stages of growth when the cancer has become large enough to affect nearby organs.

Research is desperately needed. Unlike other cancers, overall survival rates for pancreatic cancer have not changed for almost 50 years.

Paula and Mark will be pedalling away from the Barambah EEC, which is located in the Wratten State Forest near Gallangowan, on Sunday, June 22.

They will then ride via back roads until they hit the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail at Yarraman. From there, they’ll work their way down the rail trail to Ipswich and then head to Wacol to pick up the bikeway to Mt Coot-tha and then on to Bardon, where Ian lives.

Mark is a PE teacher at Murgon State School and a relief teacher and P&C president at the Barambah EEC – the reason why they chose this as the starting point.

Paula is the Sport and Recreation co-ordinator at the South Burnett PCYC in Murgon.

Keeping fit is very important to the couple, and was also an important aspect of Ian’s life until his diagnosis.

“He was the fittest 64-year-old I have even seen. He was so fit you wouldn’t think anything like this could happen to him,” Paula said.

“I want him to vicariously do the journey with us via videostream or GoPro (video camera).”

They chose the Garvan Institute as the beneficiary of the fundraising as it is the main organisation researching pancreatic cancer, and Ian’s data is also being fed into their research program.

However, even more important than the fundraising to the couple is raising awareness about pancreatic cancer, something which Ian is passionate about.

“We want to raise awareness for him,” Paula said. “A lot of other cancers have a much higher profile.”

In the 24 hours since they launched their Facebook page, the couple has already received more than 100 likes and $170 has been pledged on their donation page.

Murgon’s “other Mark Smith”, from Mark Smith Menswear, and Struddy’s Sports have donated the purple riding gear the couple will be using; the Aspley Bike Hub has donated $200 worth of tyres; and the PCYC has donated petrol vouchers for the support vehicle.

“We still need assistance along the way with accommodation in Nanango, Blackbutt and Coominya,” Paula said.

Anyone who can assist should contact Paula on 0429-694-847.

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