LA Cancer Challenge returns Sunday to raise funds for pancreatic cancer

Thousands of people are expected at UCLA on Sunday for the 29th annual LA Cancer Challenge, a 5K walk/run benefiting pancreatic cancer research and people facing the disease, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

The event has raised more than $12.1 million since 1998 and has reached about 85% of this year's $750,000 goal, ABC7 reported. The fundraising supports work on a disease that is difficult to diagnose early.

The walk/run is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. at UCLA Wilson Plaza in Westwood, according to ABC7. Participants are expected to include pancreatic cancer survivors and their families.

The Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer produces the event. Eyewitness News reporter Denise Dador will serve as emcee, ABC7 reported.

Lisa Manheim, the foundation's CEO and executive director, said the gathering offers hope and a sense of community despite the difficulties associated with the disease, according to ABC7.

Manheim said advances in drugs and vaccines, particularly over the past year, are providing hope. She encouraged people with a connection to pancreatic cancer or other cancers to participate and help sustain research, ABC7 reported.

Manheim said walking alongside survivors and others with shared experiences can help participants find hope, according to ABC7.