Pancreatic cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death. As November progresses, it’s not just about turkey and dressing, but also about bringing awareness to one of the deadliest of cancers. Pancreatic cancer can be hard to detect as signs and symptoms appear after the disease is in its advanced stages.
More than 46,000 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year. Of this number around 39,000 cases will be fatal. The American Cancer Society shows a slight increase in the years of the number of patients that have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The good news is that pancreatic cancer survival rates have also been improving over the years. There are many types of pancreatic cancer some operable and others unfortunately inoperable. This is one man’s story of how he defied the odds and survived pancreatic cancer.
“How many of you have heard the words – you have cancer?”
Meet Anthony, a 39 year old who replayed the talk with his doctor over and over, not believing what he heard.
“At 39 I thought I was in the best shape of my life. I would have described myself as a healthy, normal man. I went to the gym regularly, worked full time as a graphic designer and was planning on showcasing my cooking skills and opening a small side business. I was happy.
I wasn’t feeling well, experiencing pain in my side and was constantly tired. My wife urged me to get a check-up. What they found was anything but routine. I had naively thinking it could be gallstones, but as the look of concerns around me grew along with size of the machines I was being taken to the eventual diagnosis was in fact cancer. At that, it was pancreatic cancer, one of the worst cancers to cure.
I was moved from a busy ward to a small private section when the doctor broke the news. They warned me not to Google “pancreatic cancer”, but like a fool I did. I had a panic attack when the first thing I read was that there was a 3% survival rate for pancreatic cancer.
The doctors offered to perform a Whipple procedure, which apparently is one of the biggest operations humanly possible. Even then, there was an 80% chance the cancer could come back. We decided to go for it and pray for the best. I’m not going to say it was easy, I had complications and at one point the pain medicine wasn’t working and I could feel everything, and I mean everything. At the end of it, I was told that the procedure looked like it was successful, and that my Stage III pancreatic cancer was completely removed.
Cancer affects everything, not just your body. It affects your self-esteem, anxiety, and as we all know, your finances. I started chemotherapy and was even selected to go on a special trial. I cut down my hours at work until I started to feel normal. So far I remain cancer free and I’m hopeful for the future.”