WAUCHOPE woman Alison Penfold is set to walk from Harrington to Port Macquarie this weekend to raise awareness and funds for pancreatic cancer research.

The charity walk is part of PanKind’s Remember September campaign to honour and remember the 71 Australians who die each week from pancreatic cancer.

The cause is a personal one for Ms Penfold, who lost her mother to pancreatic cancer in 2013.

“It is an insidious disease, with symptoms often coming far too late for effective treatment,” she said.

“If you are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer tomorrow, there is only a 12.5 percent chance you will be alive in five years.

“My mum was part of the 87.5 percent with just a year between her diagnosis and her passing.

“The whole experience was traumatic and gut wrenching for Dad and I, our family and friends, so by taking on this walking challenge to raise funds for more research into the disease, I hope to help other families by saving lives through better treatments and even a cure.”

Ms Penfold said the start and end points of her walk hold special meaning too.

“Mum lived in both Harrington and Port Macquarie at different times in her life and loved both places very much, so it makes sense for me to cover the 71 kilometre challenge by walking between both,” Ms Penfold said.

“I will start my walk from Minnamurra Drive in Harrington on Friday 20 September and I hope to complete the walk in three stages, finishing in River Park Road in Port Macquarie on Sunday.

“Given the beauty of the terrain to cover, it will be a very enjoyable physical challenge and at the same time raising much needed funds for live-saving pancreatic cancer research.

“I will be capturing my journey on my Instagram page @pennifold363.”

To donate, visit www.rememberseptember.org.au/fundraisers/alisonpenfold/move-it-in-september-2024.