Two years after his brother’s death in 2002, Neil Piper and his wife decided they wanted to find a way to raise money for pancreatic cancer research.
Piper had lost four family members to the disease and was at risk himself — as are his niece and children. Awareness of pancreatic cancer was low, along with survival rates since there are no warning signs until the disease’s final stages.
The couple began working with the Lustgarten Foundation to support its mission in finding treatment and early detection methods for pancreatic cancer. Through that group’s partnership with Cablevision, 100 percent of all donated funds go directly to cancer research.
To help raise more money, Neil and Shari Piper decided on a walk they dubbed the “Walk for Hope,” held each year in Bethlehem’s Elm Avenue Park.
“When we first started, we didn’t know it would be such a big thing,” said Piper. “We started it for my family members and had just 15 people come, but it’s grown since.”
The walk started out more solemn as a way for walkers to mourn the people they’d lost to pancreatic cancer. It stayed that way for the first three years when the event’s committee, many of whom had lost someone to the disease, decided it was time for a change.
“It was in the fifth year we decided the event was too quiet, and it wasn’t doing anything to attract more people,” said Piper. “We decided to turn it into a celebration of the lives of those we’d lost and have it be a happy occasion.”
Now in its 11th year, the event has since been renamed the Albany-Capital District Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk, and about 400 people are expected to be in attendance. Participants have raised nearly $750,000 for the Lustgarten Foundation since the event’s 2004 beginning.
Shari Piper said some families use the event as a type of reunion, and oftentimes people from throughout the country fly in to Albany County to walk with family members.
This year, a DJ will play music during the walk. There will also be a silent auction, a 50/50 raffle, a visit from the characters of Star Wars, face painting and a show by The Puppet People for the children. Complimentary coffee, apple cider and doughnuts will be provided for breakfast, while the Four Corners Luncheonette food truck will be selling sandwiches for lunch.
New this year, the organizers have added a pet parade and costume contest with prizes. Purple hair extensions will also be on sale through Shear Simplicity of Delmar.
Shari said the change in atmosphere has helped greatly increase attendance. She is now working with several people who want to begin organizing their own walks in Florida and Kansas.
“We’re really proud of the Capital District for supporting us, and hope the walk will catch on elsewhere,” said Shari Piper.
The feeling of the walk has also changed because of promising new research, which was developed through the donations.
In 2010, Neil Piper underwent surgery to remove a suspicious growth from his pancreas. It was found as part of an early detection study at John Hopkins University that is partially funded by Lustgarten. Piper recovered and retained 40 percent of his pancreas, which allows him to live healthy and drug-free. His niece is also involved in the study.
Early detection blood tests were introduced last year and are now in clinical trials worldwide. A new drug is in the clinical stages, as well. The drug works to break down the membrane that can form around the pancreas, allowing chemotherapy to penetrate the tumor.
Shari Piper said the recent deaths of celebrities like Patrick Swayze, Steve Jobs and astronaut Sally Ride, who all succumbed to this particular form of cancer, has brought more awareness to the public about the disease.
“I think people are more apt to participate in the walk, now that it doesn’t seem so much like a lost cause,” said Shari.
The Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 7, from the large pavilion at Bethlehem’s Elm Avenue Park in Bethlehem, rain or shine. The walk is 1.2 miles long, but many go around more than once. Strollers, wheelchairs and pets can be taken along the course. Day-of-race registration starts at 8:30 a.m.
For more information, to pre-register or to donate, visit albanypcrwalk.org.
