2024- MLPC Pottery Marathon for Pancreatic Cancer Research

After an incredible event in 2022, the Matt Long Pottery Company is back with another Pottery Marathon For Pancreatic Cancer research!

Our Story:

In January 2018, I lost my grandfather Thomas Long at the age of 77 to pancreatic cancer. A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and a well-known small business owner in Cortland, NY, he was a fixture in his community and the anchor of my extended family.

In September 2022, my roommate Thomas McClelland lost his uncle Mitchell Quint at age 53 after a hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer.

As we sat in our room reminiscing over the good times we had with these role models, Tommy and I came to a simple conclusion: Pancreatic cancer was unfair and something had to change. Unlike other cancers that can be caught early on and treated effectively, pancreatic cancer is often discovered late in its disease process. The lack of early warning signs and screening tests has led pancreatic cancer to become one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths. The five-year survival rate of this disease is just 11%.

As I sat in my ceramics class the next day, I couldn't stop thinking about how eerily similar our families' experiences with pancreatic cancer were. For both of us, the disease progressed much faster than we could make sense of it in our heads. It felt like one moment everything was fine, and the next, we had lost someone we had looked up to for years. As I trimmed a cereal bowl that day in class, an idea struck me: what if I could somehow focus my newfound hobby on raising funds for and awareness of pancreatic cancer research? Here, the Pottery for Pancreatic Cancer Marathon was born.

On October 28th at 4:00, the first MLPC event began. Over 24 hours, through the tremendous generosity of over 130 donors, we raised $6,212 for the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research. Dozens of friends came to visit me in the studio and we ultimately gave out 35+ bowls, mugs, and plates. The event was an overwhelming success.

This year:

Now, we are back with steadier hands, sharper skills, and a stockpile of finished bowls, mugs, and sculptures. Other ND student-artists have joined the team and we are geared up for another successful pottery marathon in Riley Hall. This year's event will last from 4 pm on April 19th to 4 pm on April 20th. All donations will benefit the Lustgarten Foundation. For photos of our ceramic work so far and further event details, please visit our Instagram @MattLongPotteryCo

For more information on the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, feel free to visit the Lustgarten Foundation Home Page