ACPMP Appendix Cancer Walk Celebrates 20th Anniversary,and $2.4 Million in Rare Cancer Research Funding

Nationwide community walks in June honor the movement’s founding legacy and 46 funded research grants

MEDIA, PA State – The Appendix Cancer PMP Research Foundation (ACPMP) marks a milestone this June with the 20th anniversary of its signature fundraising event, the Appendix Cancer Walk. What began in 2007, when close to 700 family and friends came to a small Pennsylvania gathering to honor a loved one lost to appendix cancer, has grown into a nationwide community movement that has raised close to $2.5 million and funded 49 research grants for one of medicine’s rarest and most misdiagnosed cancers.

Walks are taking place this month in communities across the country, with events in Pennsylvania, California, New Jersey, Oregon, North Carolina, and other locations. Together, they represent two decades of patient families turning grief into action – and into science.

“Twenty years ago, a handful of families came together because there was nowhere else to turn,” said Jim Carroll, President of Appendix Cancer PMP Research Foundation. “The money raised by these Walks has funded 49 research grants. This anniversary is a testament to what a community can do when it refuses to accept the status quo.”

A Movement Built Walk by Walk

The ACPMP Walk founded in Pennsylvania in memory of Frank “Dutch” Culbertson, whose wife Judy and family channeled their loss into a mission: accelerate research for a cancer that is often caught late, frequently misdiagnosed, and historically underfunded. Over 20 years, that single walk became a national event, drawing participants from across the United States who share a common experience – navigating a rare diagnosis with few resources and little public awareness.

This year’s 20th anniversary events will include the founding family and longtime community members who have walked every year since the beginning, alongside newly diagnosed patients and survivors who found ACPMP when they needed it most.

Research Impact

Since its founding, Appendix Cancer PMP Research Foundation has funded 49 research grants totaling close to $2.5 million, supporting scientists working to improve detection, treatment, and survival for patients with appendix cancer and pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP). These are cancers that often go undetected for years and for which treatment options remain limited. ACPMP-funded research has directly contributed to growing clinical understanding of these rare diagnoses.

The Walk remains ACPMP’s primary fundraising engine and community gathering -powered entirely by patients, survivors, caregivers, and the families of those lost and supported by the Appendix Cancer medical specialist community.

2026 Walk Events

New York (New York City) – June 13

Oregon (Bend, OR) – June 13

North Carolina (Winston-Salem, NC) – June 13

California (Los Angeles) – June 13

Indiana (Carmel) – June 14

New Jersey (Pennsauken) – June 20

Pennsylvania (Media) – June 20

For walk locations, registration, and information, visit www.acpmp.org.

About Appendix Cancer PMP Research Foundation

The Appendix Cancer PMP Research Foundation (ACPMP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to:

• Funding and supporting research to discover new treatments for appendiceal cancer and PMP, with the hope of one day finding a cure for all.
• Funding and supporting education for healthcare professionals, patients, caregivers, and families to stay current with the evolving science and to increase awareness about this rare cancer.

ACPMP has funded 49 research grants totaling close to $2.5 million since its founding. For more information, visit www.acpmp.org.

Contact: Dana Jackson Cohen | dana@acpmp.org | 617-818-8352