Surviving Pancreatic Cancer Against All Odds

Diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, Bob wasn’t given good odds to survive. In fact, one physician told him that his cancer would kill him. Now cancer free, Bob shares his remarkable story. Visit http://www.canceris.net/portfolio-item/surviving-pancreatic-cancer-odds/ to learn more about Bob’s journey with cancer.

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** Transcription from Bob’s story as a stage 4 pancreatic cancer survivor.

“A year ago, in June, I was diagnosed with cancer. I was having some back pains in my lower kidney area, and I’d gone in to see a doctor, my family physician, and she reccommended a CAT scan. There was a large tumor on my pancreas that had grown to cover the blood vessel between the pancreas and the kidney, and it was quite serious. It was stage four, which is a very advanced stage of pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately, with pancreatic cancer, by the time you find it, it normally is stage four. One of the doctors had come in and told me that it was serious and that I would die from this cancer.

My wife and I were very emotional about this, we’d lost our son a couple of years before this, our only child was killed in a motorcycle accident and he was killed a week before his wedding. So with this happening, it really hit us hard. I was especially concerned about Barb, my wife, who I’ve known since fifth grade– we grew up together, went to school together, and everything– I just couldn’t imagine what effect this would have on her, losing both of us.

I relied a lot on friends. Our faith kept us going and out friends kept us busy. I tried to be as active as I could. I do photography on the side for a local museum and I kept active doing as much as I could, but when things got to the point where I was taking radiation I really wasn’t feeling good. I took about a six month leave of absence because I couldn’t do that. I pushed myself, we’d go on hikes, went on vacation, did some long bike rides and hiking and that type of thing. The key is keep your mind busy. You can’t dwell on the bad part, you’ve got to look for the bright light at the end of the tunnel so to speak.

After doing the radiation and chemotherapy together we did another CAT scan, and Doctor Lemon and Doctor Deitrich looked at it, and they felt that the tumor had shrunken enough, that it had come off the artery to the kidney, that they could go in and do surgery. So, on the first of July, I went into Methodist Hospital and Doctor Deitrich performed a whipple procedure on me. He removed the entire tumor and part of the pancreas. They felt that they had gotten all the cancer out of my body, out of my system, the tumor and everything. There were no infections in my lymph nodes or anything, so that was extremely good news. Subsequently they did another CAT scan, three months later, and they say there’s no sign of any tumor, there’s no sign of cancer in my blood, all my cancer levels are way below normal. Now I’m getting stronger all the time. I’m back down at the museum doing photography again, and things are looking good.

Someone telling you that you have cancer is the scariest thing in the world, but it does not have to be. You can get through this. It can be a positive life journey. And there is light at the end of the tunnel.”