Alexandria’s Pat Malone is kicking off another year of standing up to cancer.
Starting at 4:26 p.m. today (Tuesday), Malone, a cancer survivor and Air Force veteran, will stand for 24 hours straight at Pork Barrel BBQ (2312 Mount Vernon Avenue) for his 12th annual Stand Up To Cancer fundraiser. Malone estimates that he’s raised more than $100,000 for cancer research over the past 11 years.
“The reason why I do this is because there’s people that we know all know who are battling cancer, who can’t stand up, who can’t walk, who might be bedridden,” Malone told ALXnow. “This is my way of paying a personal homage to everybody who’s fighting the fight.”
The time of the event, 4:26 p.m., is when Malone, 68, remembers waking up from life-saving surgery in 2014 to remove a hockey puck-sized cancerous tumor from his shoulder at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
It’s a moment Malone, who later underwent 29 radiation treatments, considers to be his second birthday — and he encourages donations of $26 to commemorate it.
Today marks the first time that the event will be held in Alexandria. The previous 11 fundraisers were held at Fire Works Pizza in Arlington.
“Pat Malone and my business partner, ‘Mango’ Mike Anderson, have been friends since the ’80s,” said Bill Blackburn, co-owner of Pork Barrel BBQ. “Pork Barrel is proud to support his efforts and look forward to rooting him on.”
The fundraiser also happens to kick off during Election Day, and Malone said he is going to spend the night alongside Alexandria Democrats during their watch party.
Afterward, he plans to watch ESPN and walk around, though with symptoms from hereditary spastic paraplegia, he said it’s getting harder to stand for longer periods.
“It really energizes me when people come by and check in,” Malone said. “I try to stay in motion as much as I can. That way, when I’m in motion and I’m walking around, it really helps me, because if I’m standing in one spot or if I’m stationary, then it makes the time go much slower.”
Malone has set a $1 million fundraising goal this year. As of this morning, he has raised $1,308.
Nearly half of men and about 33% of women will get cancer in their lifetimes, according to The National Cancer Institute.
Photo via Elza Daniel/Facebook
