Benny and the Jets

For Ben

Bienvenido Are, also known as Ben or Dodi, was diagnosed with stage three Pancreatic Cancer in June 2015, an aggressive upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancer with some of the lowest survival rates of all cancers. With such a low survival rate, and the aggressive and painful nature of the cancer, Ben was told he only had six months left to live.

Ben fought through these odds  and faced the battle with his cancer, celebrating his 60th birthday in September 2015, and seeing one last Christmas with his loved ones in December 2015. Ben never lost his strength, hope or his faith. 

By July 2016, Ben had lost so much weight, experienced immense pain in his body, saw frequent visits to and from the hospital, and saw the cancer had spread to other parts of his body, forcing him into palliative care.

On July 24th 2016, Ben passed away peacefully in his sleep. Having fought through such a dangerous cancer for just over one year, he was finally free. 

This year will be ten years since Ben passed, and our team are fighting to raise awareness to all cancers and cancer prevention. 

We also hope to raise money for Cancer Council which will assist in research conducted on various cancers, assist in offering support services to families and individuals in need, and raise awareness to all cancers that have a devastating impact on individuals and their loved ones.

In doing so, we hope that other families will never have to experience the painful and difficult times we saw while Ben was fighting pancreatic cancer, and see a brighter future and outcome for individuals diagnosed with cancer. 

In participating in the relay this year, we hope to stand alongside all others who are fighting cancer, lending them strength to keep on fighting. 

We also stand alongside others who have lost someone to cancer, sharing memories and remembering those who left us behind. 

Thank you for taking the time to read our story, and we hope to see you on the track!