Camden Linstead and his brother, Christopher Lance, of Peoria, IL are traveling to the UK on August 2, 2011 to join other family members and friends on a 200+ mile trek across England to raise awareness about stomach cancer, and to raise funds for No Stomach For Cancer, Inc., an organization that helped their family through some tough times.
The coast to coast trek will take 14 solid days to complete and begins in St Bee’s on August 5, 2011. The route leads them to their final destination of Robin Hoods Bay on August 18, 2011.
The Linstead family is affected by Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer (HDGC), caused by a genetic trait which predisposes them to this deadly type of stomach cancer.
Camden, age 25, underwent a total gastrectomy in July of 2010 at age 24, having his stomach completely removed due to a gene mutation that puts him at high risk of developing this disease. He lost his father, aunt, grandmother, and great-grandmother to HDGC. Another brother, uncle, aunt and cousin have all had the same life saving surgery.
The past two years have been difficult for the family. “Along this journey an amazing organization called No Stomach For Cancer has aided all of my family, here and in the UK, providing information and emotional support. We could not have gotten through this without their help,” said Camden. “I am hiking across England to help others by raising awareness about stomach cancer and to raise funds along the way to donate to this amazing organization so they can continue to provide services to other families going through similar situations – so they don’t have to feel like they are in the dark, and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel”.
“Stomach cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide,” said Karen Chelcun Schreiber, Board Chair of No Stomach For Cancer, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Madison, WI with a mission focused on fighting stomach cancer. “The Linstead family knows firsthand about the importance of awareness, education, and family support to fight this devastating disease. They are an extraordinary family, strong and committed, and we are delighted that they have chosen to become involved and take action to support this very important work. We are excited to follow their trek from afar.
For more information, or to make a donation, visit www.nostomachforcancer.org
Camden’s Walk Across England For Stomach Cancer Awareness Fundraising Page
Map of Camden’s trek, from the Irish Sea to the North Sea
http://www.lehigh.edu/~wwt1/C2C/ukmap.html