When Tim Duffy lost his wife to pancreatic cancer in December of 2022, the word he used to describe his feelings was “helplessness.”
Now, Duffy, 67, of Ogunquit, is gearing up for a fundraising walk along Ogunquit Beach on Saturday, Sept. 21. Called “Kate’s Journey,” he named it for his wife, Kathy “Kate” Duffy. He said he hopes the money the walk raises will contribute to important pancreatic cancer research.
“For me, this is a way of, maybe for someone down the road, that when they hear that (diagnosis), there’s hope. Instead of helplessness, there’s hope,” he said.
According to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, a national nonprofit that focuses on the disease, pancreatic cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer-related death in the US. On average, 87% of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer don’t live longer than five years.
One of the reasons for that, Duffy noted, is that right now there is no straightforward test for the disease, unlike colon, breast or prostate cancer.
“To me, the first step we need to take is to find a very simple and inexpensive marker that will diagnose the disease early,” he said.
For Kate Duffy, diagnosis came too late. By the time they knew anything was wrong, Tim Duffy said, the cancer had already spread throughout her body. She died a mere 45 days after being diagnosed, at the age of 65.
“It’s hard to describe the incredible helplessness when you hear that diagnosis, and then that’s what continues is, you just, you feel very helpless, and, you know, the grief is, it can be overwhelming,” Duffy said.
Duffy said he first decided he wanted to do something about how he felt in 2023. Starting on his wedding anniversary, on Aug. 21, he walked, from West Yarmouth, Mass., where he and Kate met, to Ogunquit, where he and Kate had lived since 2019.
“It started to become clear to me that I wanted to do, I wanted to follow our journey through life, from where we met to where we landed,” he said.
The entire trip took 13 days, covering more than 100 miles, and with help from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Duffy turned it into a fundraiser. He was surprised to see the event raised more than $100,000, including a single contribution from an anonymous donor for $47,000.
“People were just fantastic,” he said. “The support was overwhelming.”
Now, Duffy is organizing a similar fundraiser, a 5k walk taking place on Sept. 21. The walk will start at
This year, more of a traditional 5k walk, starting on Ogunquit Beach itself, then going north along the beach to Footbridge Beach, then onto the street, and back down Main Street toward the entrance to Ogunquit Beach again.
Duffy said he chose the area because he and his wife, who are Massachusetts natives, fell in love with the beach and the surrounding area since the first time the visited back in 1995.
“Kate loved to walk, and she loved Ogunquit Beach,” he said.
Initially, Duffy said he hoped to raise $10,000 in donations from registered walkers. As of Thursday morning, he said, he had beaten that, with about 130 registered walkers raising more than $11,000.
Duffy said he wants to see a better screening test for pancreatic cancer in his lifetime.
“If before I die, there’s a diagnostic tool that is going to help someone get through this and learn that they have an 87, 90% chance of survival instead of 10 or 13, then I’ll die happy,” he said.
Those who wish to register as walkers can do so by visiting https://forms.gle/ftQpvSrXXF3BTnb5A. For adults, the registration fee/donation is $50, and $20 for walkers who are 12 and under.
For anyone who can’t make the walk but still wants to donate, visit http://support.pancan.org/goto/katesjourney2024.