Alan Rickman's widow seeks funds for breath test to spot pancreatic cancer early

A decade after Alan Rickman’s death, his widow Rima Horton appeared on BBC Breakfast on January 27 to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK and promote the charity’s effort to “flip the script” on the disease. MovieWeb notes pancreatic cancer is the fifth-most lethal form of cancer in Britain, killing close to 10,000 people a year, and that an expected 52,000 people in the U.S.

will die from it in 2025. The piece says those most at risk include people who are obese, smoke, have diabetes, or are over age 55, and that only 25% of patients survive past 12 months. Horton told BBC Breakfast, “He had so much more to give. There were so many more things he could have done.

The biggest problem is that by the time that people find out they’ve got [pancreatic cancer], it's too late. The symptoms are so difficult to work out. What we're trying to do is raise money for a breathalyzer test which could provide an early diagnosis.” The article notes Rickman died six months after his diagnosis.

Two weeks earlier, Pancreatic Cancer UK had posted on Instagram about a “once in a lifetime prize” for anyone who donated at least £5: a complete set of all seven Harry Potter hardback books signed by 12 cast members, offered in Rickman’s memory. The Instagram post said the draw was inspired by Rickman’s legacy and aims to raise vital funds for people affected by the disease.

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