The Lori Project

---

Please click the button below to sign a petition to Advocate for Regular Abdominal Ultrasounds at High-Risk Ages to improve early detection of abdominal cancers. 

Below is Lori's story with reasoning behind why The Lori Project has been started.

This is a grassroots endeavor to answer the following question:  

Why can’t doctors recommend periodic abdominal ultrasounds starting at the high-risk ages (40+) to identify abdominal abnormalities like cancer?    

Thank you for your help!

Allen Morgan

I started an online Change.org petition to help us advocate for Regular Abdominal Ultrasounds at High-Risk Ages (40+) to improve early detection of cancer. You can support The Lori Project by signing and sharing the petition.

Goal: 2,000 signatures so we can start the lobbying process. I will lobby those who help set health policy to recommend "Regular Abdominal Ultrasounds at High-Risk Ages."

Link to Petition:

https://www.change.org/.../the-lori-project-please-help.../

Or use your phone to scan QR Code below.

This is a grassroots endeavor to answer the following question:

Why can’t doctors recommend periodic abdominal ultrasounds starting at the high-risk ages (40+) to identify abdominal abnormalities like cancer?

For my wife Lori, it started as mere back pain. But soon, a 15-minute abdominal ultrasound led to the discovery that changed her life and that of her loved ones forever - she was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. Lori was one of the 200,000 victims diagnosed with abdominal organ cancer annually, and despite the resilience of her spirit, she succumbed to this disease on September 3rd, 2024, a mere four months post-diagnosis.

During a routine ultrasound, even before a formal diagnosis, the technician commented “I will be praying for you,” having identified an abnormality. This underlines the potential effectiveness of ultrasounds in identifying abdominal abnormalities in organs such as the liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, and kidneys earlier, potentially before symptoms appear.

I lost my beautiful wife of 43 years to abdominal organ (pancreatic) cancer after just four months.

I felt helpless that I couldn't help Lori.

But I am committed to trying to help others have a better chance of survival by advocating for this simple approach to early detection.

This is why I am advocating for periodic abdominal ultrasounds starting at higher-risk ages (40+).

These noninvasive tests could increase early detection rates, drastically improve survival rates, and ultimately save thousands of lives.

Today, there are no reasonable early detection capabilities for cancer of the following abdominal organs:

• liver

• gallbladder

• spleen

• pancreas

• kidneys

Unfortunately, most of these abdominal cancers are insidious and don’t manifest symptoms until they have already spread. Once they have spread, they become significantly more difficult to treat. This is why early detection is so critical.

Early Detection Saves Lives!

Usually, when you start to develop symptoms of abdominal cancer, your doctor will send you for an ultrasound.

A standard abdominal ultrasound is non-invasive, and is not as costly as other tests. An ultrasound would include imaging of the liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, and kidneys in the interest of looking for any abdominal abnormalities.

Consider PSA tests for prostate cancer, mammograms for breast cancer, and colonoscopies for colon cancer: all of these recommended tests identify abnormalities – they don’t diagnose cancer themselves. When those tests do detect abnormalities, it then takes additional testing to confirm whether or not the abnormality is indeed cancer. The primary benefit of these tests is they help with early detection.

With pancreatic cancer, for example, the latency period between the start of the cancer and the appearance of symptoms can be up to 10 years. Periodic ultrasounds could identify the abnormalities caused by cancer earlier, before the cancer symptoms ever appear (and when it’s often too late to treat).

In the US alone, we are seeing 200,000 people diagnosed with cancer of the liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, and kidneys every year. These numbers are also increasing. 

Medical experts are working on other early detection methods like blood tests to identify cancer markers, and they are making progress, but it will likely still be years before we see anything roll out to the general public.

New cancer treatments are also on their way, but those treatments are also several years away and will also likely be more effective if the cancer is detected earlier, before the disease has progressed to other organs.

Ultrasound Facts:

Ultrasounds have been safely used in diagnostic medicine for over 60 years.

Ultrasounds are effective at detecting abnormalities. We know this because ultrasounds are often the first-line test for people who complain of potential abdominal cancer symptoms. 

When you look at known contributing factors to abdominal cancers, age (especially for those 40+) is a top risk factor.

So, why do we wait until someone complains of symptoms, when the cancer is likely to have already spread?

Ultrasounds are a proven tool for early detection, and they will save lives.

If Lori had been sent for a routine abdominal ultrasound 5-10 years prior to this year, she would have had a much better chance at survival.

By sharing Lori's story, we are calling on medical professionals and policymakers to reconsider current practices.

Recommended periodic abdominal ultrasounds for people in high-risk age groups could lead to early detection and significantly improve prognosis for those afflicted with these conditions.

We need your support to make this a reality. For Lori, and for countless others facing the same fate. 

Please, sign the petition and help us change lives and change policy.

Link to Petition:

https://www.change.org/.../the-lori-project-please-help.../

Thank you for your support!

Please feel free to contact me here if you have any questions at the email address below.

Allen Morgan

Email: teamlorimorgan@gmail.com