More Telecom and Tangerine join Pancare Foundation to help improve outcomes for Australians impacted by upper GI cancer
In 2019 the More Telecom team lost a long-time friend and sales partner, Peter Back, after a short and courageous fight against pancreatic cancer. Strong relationships have always been at the heart of the More Telecom story. As an organisation, More Telecom, and sister venture Tangerine, place enormous value on their relationships with staff, customers, and partners. After seeing their friend and respected partner succumb to this devastating disease, More Telecom was motivated to take action in Peter’s memory.
The challenges of a pancreatic cancer diagnosis
Pancreatic cancer is an upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancer that often goes undiagnosed in the early stages due to the presentation of vague symptoms such as nausea, pain in the upper abdomen, loss of appetite, weight loss and tiredness. There are no early detection tests available.
Once upper GI cancers reach advanced states, their spread to other nearby organs means that any chance of curative surgery is effectively eliminated, and chances of survival drastically reduced.
Out of all the major cancers, upper gastrointestinal cancers have some of the lowest survival rates and collectively represent a leading cause of cancer death in society.
In fact, over the past 10 years alone, more than 100,000 Australians have been diagnosed, with more than 75,000 losing their life as a result. That’s thousands more than lives lost to leukaemia, breast and prostate cancer combined.
Yet, they receive very little attention or funding to support vital research and improve patient outcomes. The support networks and services that exist for more common cancers, are lacking for upper GI cancers. As a result, receiving a timely diagnosis, access to information, ease of treatment pathways and overall survival are compromised.
Remembering Peter
Peter was a very well-liked and trusted sales partner to More & Tangerine founders Andy and Richard Branson, working with them on their IF Telecom business from 2007 to 2014 and continuing with More up until his illness made it too difficult for Peter to continue work.
Peter is remembered as being one of a kind. He had a special knack for giving exceptional customer service, and many of the accounts that he brought onboard and managed in Bunbury and surrounding WA regions are still loyal customers today.
Peter’s knowledge of the industry was second to none. He knew exactly what efforts were involved behind the scenes, which lead to many great working and personal relationships being built over the years. The team always looked forward to catching up with Peter when he made his annual trip over to Melbourne for the AFL grand final every September.
Demanding better for Australia’s forgotten cancers – a new partnership comes to life
Following Peter’s passing, More Telecom donated to Pancare Foundation, having been introduced to the Foundation by Peter’s family.
Pancare Foundation are a leading charity committed to inspiring hope, raising awareness, supporting families and funding research for upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. It is their mission to improve survival rates and support for Australians diagnosed with pancreatic, liver, stomach, biliary and oesophageal cancers.
This initial donation by More Telecom led to further conversations between the two organisations, and with clear synergy in values and desire to have a positive impact on the experiences of Australians living with an upper GI cancer, a partnership was formed.
The partnership successfully kicked off with a Corporate Team of More and Tangerine staff playing a key role in Pancare’s record breaking Dry July campaign, which demonstrated the personal commitment and contribution to the long-term partnership and cause.
Dean Harris reflects, “Peter was a great bloke and I miss our frequent chats. Those chats normally began with sport or ended with sport, and we always managed to cover his customer requirements in between.
It was a real shock when we lost Peter to pancreatic cancer. It was quite sudden as he was fighting what seemed to be a winning battle for a while. Peter was a gentleman and did everything with professionalism and sincerity and he will always be missed.
We are proud to be working closely with Pancare and we look forward to being a major contributor to their amazing cause for many years to come. We offer our deep condolences to Peter’s wife Irene for the loss of her much-loved husband, and our thanks for putting us in contact with Pancare. Anything we can do to help raise funds and awareness for Pancare in Peter’s honour, is our pleasure and a long-term commitment. “
A shared commitment
The outcome of a better future for patients and families is at the heart of this innovative partnership to create awareness and deliver long-term, sustainable revenue to Pancare.
Through More Telecom, Pancare corporate supporters will be able to access award-winning integrated solutions for their business – knowing that part of their telco-spend will be going back to Pancare via a generous ongoing profit share. To find out how you can support Pancare through More Telecom please contact James Stewart, Pancare Foundation National Development Manager, at [email protected]
In addition to this, Tangerine, their sister provider for household NBN & mobile, will make a $125 contribution to Pancare for every new customer that signs up for the Pancare community offer. To learn more about the Tangerine products please visit their website tangerinetelecom.com.au.
Pancare looks forward to a long and impactful partnership with More Telecom and Tangerine.
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