A Love For Life Marks 10-Year Anniversary With Record Setting Million Dollar Fundraising Goal to Benefit Abramson Cancer Center's Pancreatic Research at UPenn

    NEWTOWN, PA, April 12, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- A Love for Life (ALFL), Penn Medicine's biggest donor to pancreatic cancer research through its Abramson Cancer Center, celebrates its 10-year milestone April 10th — the same day it reaches its one-million-dollar fundraising mark. The fundraising achievement also falls on the same day in 2012 that founder Christine Edmond's husband Kevin passed away; Christine and her family launched the non-profit soon after with the mission to help find a cure for pancreatic cancer while celebrating life, friendship, and adventure along the way.

The day is imbued with meaning for the nonprofit created in honor of Bucks County resident Kevin Edmonds and his sister Nora, both of whom were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at age 49 and passed away at age 51.

"Over the past 10 years, I have forged tremendous relationships with the doctors at Abramson Cancer Center. In fact, Dr. Ben Stanger, the head of pancreatic research at UPenn, and Dr. Mark O'Hara, a member of the research department, actively participate in our fundraising events and have been tremendously supportive, and that means the world to us," said ALFL Founder Christine Edmonds. "When Kevin and Nora were diagnosed, the five-year survival rate was between 4 and 5%. Ten years later we have managed to double that number to 11%, but it is still a difficult diagnosis to receive. Although new developments will not help those we have loved and lost, our hope is that we can improve outcomes for patients who are dealing with a pancreatic cancer diagnosis today, and those who will face this challenge in the future. Our wish is to one day find a cure for this cancer, but in the meantime we want patients to have a better chance at survival, and a better quality of life."

A Bucks County Community Joins Forces
For Bucks-area residents and business owners who have joined Christine in ALFL's mission, this day is more than a coincidence—it's a community triumph.

Over the past 10 years, the community has banded together to create, donate, and participate in annual events such as:
• 3M Austin Half Marathon: 4 Newtown residents fly to Texas every year for this January race, sporting ALFL t-shirts, to raise money.
• Newtown Shamrock Shuffle 5K partners with ALFL: over 600 runners, many wearing green or purple tutus, charge through Newtown to raise money and awareness for ALFL.
• Serving Up A Love for Life Tennis Benefit at Northampton Tennis and Fitness Club in Richboro: Players and sponsors, including Luxe Pro Shop of Newtown, RE/MAX Realtor, and John Kennedy Ford of Feasterville, raised $8,500 in March.
• ALFL Dragon Boats that race in the Philadelphia International Dragon Boat races each fall raise thousands each year. Race has been cancelled since 2020 due to the pandemic but is expected to resume this year. Annual sponsors include Beneficial Bank, Groundswell Design Group, Newtown Hardware House, Elle Kaplan True Yoga, SurroundCycle, and more than 50 other companies.
• Oktoberfest featuring food donated by DiBruno Brothers, beer by Warsteiner USA, and gummy bears by Haribo, raised over $10,000 in 2019; stay tuned for the post-pandemic Oktoberfest in October 2022.

The community has also come together for ALFL through smaller or one-off fundraising events that include: yoga classes, 5Ks, bike trips, cookie sales, shopping days, lemonade stands, charity dinners, karaoke nights, wine tastings, art auctions, tennis benefits, garage sales, dance parties, jewelry sales, plant sales, coffee sales, music concerts, movie nights, donations from birthdays and weddings, and on and on.

"For every fundraising event big and small, 100% of monies raised were given to Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center, a world leader in cancer research, diagnosis, personalized treatment and patient care," added Christine. "Throughout his patient journey, Kevin was given stellar care by their team. After Kevin's passing, I was motivated to help raise awareness and much-needed funds for life-saving research to combat this deadly disease. I know Kevin is smiling down on me and our children today — and at all the friendships made and adventures we've had along the way. Today is a bittersweet milestone, but one about which we are all very proud."

Individuals wishing to donate to A Love for Life can do so through online donations.

About Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center
The Abramson Cancer Center is a world leader in cancer research, clinical trials, early detection, novel therapies, and personalized treatment. Pancreatic cancer has become the second leading cause of cancer-related death, and Abramson is in the forefront of the fight to find a cure and to deliver expert, personalized care that offers the most options for every patient.

About A Love for Life
A Love for Life was founded in honor of Kevin Edmonds (age 51) who died on April 10, 2012 after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Kevin's sister Nora died in 2009 from the same disease at the age of 51. The organization's mission, as highlighted in a recent ABC 6 Action News story, is to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer and funds for pancreatic cancer research. All funds raised are donated to Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center.

For more information on A Love for Life, or to make a donation, visit http://aloveforlife.us/.

Find us on Facebook/Instagram: A Love for Life/ @ aloveforlife_
Federal #/No PA, tax EIN #462038591

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