Help Leighanne (Lilly) raise money

I am participating in the 2025 Run for Survival to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer in honor of my late father, Zane Austin.

My dad was my best friend and my hero. He was a constant source of encouragement and support in my life, especially through my many health challenges when I was younger. The most important thing to him was his family and his favourite thing to do was to take care of us. In 2016, our lives changed forever when he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He passed away just 13 weeks after his diagnosis.

The speed with which the disease took him was absolutely devastating. He went from working 60+ hours per week while running his own businesses to lying in a hospital bed in the blink of an eye. There was so little time to process the news, to say everything we wanted to say, or to explore treatment options. We were told it was too late to do anything, and that helplessness is a feeling that has never left me. My family and I went through something I wouldn't wish on anyone. The cruel reality of pancreatic cancer is that it often isn't detected until it's already far too advanced.

That feeling of helplessness is the reason I am participating in the 2025 Run for Survival. This event is the largest run in Western Canada dedicated to fighting this disease, and it's my opportunity to take action. By connecting with a community of people who understand this fight, we can work together to fund crucial research into early detection methods, treatment, advocacy, and support programs. It's an opportunity to channel my grief into action, to ensure that every step I take on the course contributes to a future where other families might not have to face the same unbearable reality that mine did.

I’m walking because I want to help fund research for a cure, or at the very least, for earlier detection methods and treatments that can provide comfort and extend the lives of those diagnosed. I’m walking for my dad, in memory of the kind and loving man he was, and in the hope that no other family has to endure a fight without options. Each step I take is a way to honor his memory, and a step toward a future filled with more hope for other families.