Cancer has been a major part of my life because so many of my closest relatives have been affected by it, including my brother, grandfather, and mother. After my own lengthy health ordeal, I finally found the source of my own health issues- stage IV pancreatic cancer. I’ve had pancreatic cancer return twice and have also dealt with three kinds of skin cancer and thyroid cancer.
Since my diagnosis, I’ve had a Whipple procedure, radiation, and many rounds of chemo, but it looks like we aren’t going to ever really beat it. Surgery and radiation aren’t options anymore because the tumors are too numerous, so our plan going forward is chemo infusions every other week – indefinitely. My medical team and I are always looking for new drugs and trials, but we’re on the last known chemo drug that has proven effective against this kind of cancer. I don’t plan on giving up anytime soon but there are certainly days where that seems like a reasonable option.