On a sunny November morning, Jason Long and his kayaking partner Gordon Porter, set off on the 5-day, 415km Massive Murray Paddle. They weren’t just taking on a bucket-list challenge – they were paddling to raise much needed funds for GI cancer research.
In 2024, Jason’s brother-in-law, Nic, battled bowel cancer. We are grateful to share that Nic is now in remission and doing very well.
Inspired by Nic’s strength, Jason dedicated his challenge to supporting GI cancer research and the BIL-PPP clinical trial for bile duct cancer, which is being led by his good friend, Professor Niall Tebbutt.
Six months of Sunday training, six hours at a time, took Jason and Gordon across Lake Eildon, the Yarra and Maribyrnong Rivers in their double kayak. That preparation helped them push through every tough moment on the Murray.
“It’s a gruelling endurance event and we definitely had our moments but the beautiful scenery and our competitive spirit kept us pushing on” says Jason.
All their hard efforts paid off. Jason and Gordon successfully completed the challenge and raised over $11,300 to support better treatment options for patients with advanced biliary cancer, who may have very few treatment options available to them.
Congratulations! Your commitment, and the generosity of your donors will ensure that we can give patients facing biliary cancer the chance of a better future.
