A North East mum-of-four is rowing 280,000 metres this month in memory of the father she lost just 28 days after a cancer diagnosis.
Kate Stanley’s dad, David Bowman, was told he had pancreatic cancer in January 2011. Four weeks later, on February 11, he was dead. He was 67.
Fifteen years on, Kate, 45, from Sedgefield, County Durham, is marking the anniversary of his death with a fundraising endurance challenge: 10,000 metres on a rowing erg every single day for the 28 days of February — with no rest days.
The numbers are deliberate.
Around 10,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK each year. Almost as many die from the disease, an average of 28 people every single day. It has the lowest survival rate of all common cancers and, with mortality rates rising, it is predicted to become the fourth biggest cancer killer in the UK.
“Ten thousand metres represents the 10,000 families who will hear that diagnosis this year,” said Kate. “Twenty-eight days of rowing represent the 28 lives lost every day. My dad was one of them. He was diagnosed, and four weeks later we were planning his funeral.”
Pancreatic cancer is often described as a “silent killer” because its symptoms are vague and easily mistaken for less serious conditions. Around 80 per cent of patients are diagnosed at a late stage, when treatment options are limited.
Kate’s father deteriorated with devastating speed.
“No sooner had we heard the word ‘pancreatic’, than it took him,” she said. “Within two weeks he was bedbound. Within three, he couldn’t eat. On day 28, he died in my mum’s arms. It was brutal.”
This is not the first time Kate has fundraised in his memory. In 2021, on the 10-year anniversary of his death, she completed the extreme 4x4x48 Goggins challenge — running four miles every four hours for 48 hours — alongside two friends to raise thousands for Pancreatic Cancer UK.
This year’s challenge brings a different kind of test.
“There are no rest days,” she said. “It’s 10km every single day. That’s around 45 minutes of hard rowing, fitting it in around work and life with four children. It’s physically tough, but it’s also about discipline — getting on the erg even when you don’t feel like it.
“But it is nothing compared to what families go through. If rowing for 45 minutes a day helps fund research, improve early diagnosis and give someone else more time with their dad, then it’s worth every stroke.”
Research into pancreatic cancer has historically received a small proportion of overall cancer research funding, despite its devastating outcomes. Charities continue to push for better early detection tools and more effective treatments.
“Funding is critical,” said Kate. “We desperately need breakthroughs in early diagnosis. Too often, by the time symptoms are recognised, it’s too late. I don’t want other families to go through what we did.”
To support Kate’s fundraiser, visit:
www.justgiving.com/page/kate-stanley-rowing-10km-a-day
