Kelly’s Heroes is a 501c(3) inspired by Steve Kelly, a terrific husband, proud dad, big-time sports fan and a talented editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Steve was 53 when he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, a disease that kills 73 percent of its victims within the first year. Steve fought the battle through two clinical trials, volunteering to be part of the medical research that he truly believed would provide a breakthrough in treating this horrible disease. “Why not me?” he used to say as he endured his six-hour weekly chemo treatments. Pancreatic cancer is often called the “silent killer” because there’s no reliable screening test for the disease and its elusive symptoms often aren’t apparent until the disease has spread. The statistics are sobering:
• Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and is anticipated to become the second by 2020.
• Pancreatic cancer is one of the nation’s deadliest cancers with a five-year relative survival rate of just 6 percent.
• In 2014, an estimated 46,420 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the United States, and approximately 39,590 will die from the disease. Steve died 22 months after his diagnosis. In those 22 months, he white-water rafted and ziplined in Costa Rica; ran a 5K with his daughter; and donned his kilt and poured the Guinness at his annual St. Patrick’s Day bash. Writing for the Inquirer, Steve said, “I’m not afraid of dying, but the thought of not living frightens the hell out of me.” Kelly’s Heroes is committed to celebrating Steve’s life by gathering good people together, raising funds for cancer research and waging hope against this terrible disease.
