Colleen Claffey Memorial Run ’s Fundraiser
Benefitting: Rolfe Pancreatic Cancer Foundation
Team: Colleen Claffey Memorial Run
Event Fundraiser: 2018 DASH for Detection 5K Walk/Run for Pancreatic Cancer Research
Colleen Claffey was a beautiful friend, sister, aunt, wife and adoring mother.
Colleen first became sick in the beginning of 2016 with very severe stomach pain. Three different hospitals thought it was Pancreatitis that would eventually clear up after they inserted stents around her Pancreas. This last lasted for over 7 months of Colleen having to endure 15 different ERCP procedures inserting very painful stents into her bile ducts.
We always feared that there was something more, but ALL three hospitals assured us that they ran tests ruling out cancer. It wasn't until we made a last minute decision in the winter of 2016 to go to the Mayo Clinic. Mayo just looked at the existing information along with recent scans to determined Colleen had Stage 2 Pancreatic Cancer. The tumor was large and sitting on a vital artery that made surgery too risky. This was right before Christmas and our sons 10th birthday.
She eventually spent over 120 days in four different hospitals, nine rounds of Chemo, 25 ERCP's and eventually the Whipple Surgery. Nothing worked. Colleen died March 18, 2017 with her family at her bedside. She was only 53 years old.
If Colleen's cancer was detected earlier than she would have had a much greater chance of survival. She would have had choices. This is why we are putting all of our love, effort and money into the Rolfe Foundation. It is a smaller charity that provides grants to top-tiered medical institutions to help develop an early detection test for Pancreatic Cancer.
Thank you for all of your love and support!
The Claffey and Davern Family
Team Members
About Rolfe Pancreatic Cancer Foundation
