October 11th, 2024 was the day things changed my life and the lives of my family forever. After six-plus months of various health issues, I found myself in the hospital ER at the beginning of October and spent a week while doctors ran various tests and procedures. At the end, I walked away with the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
Cancer affects millions of people every year in this country and it does not discriminate on race, religion, age, gender or creed. If anything, I should have been prepared after watching my dad, grandparents and aunts die from this horrible disease. But at the time, I hadn’t even turned 54 yet. I am still young and have so many more things I wanted to do with my life. And as with everyone who has been affected by cancer, I felt this was so unfair!
I’m two years separated from the diagnosis and one year separated from a major surgery. I had a Whipple Procedure to remove the tumor from the pancreas as well as other affected areas such as 7 percent of my stomach, complete removal of my gall bladder and bile duct tree and the head of the pancreas. At the writing of these words, I have passed the one-year mark since the surgery and my digestive system is still all out of whack. None of that matters as much as the fact that since the surgery, the cancer has taken over and spread faster and further than it did previously.
So, what is the point of this site? To be honest, I’m not really sure. I guess I felt if I could somehow reach people who needs encouragement or help to someone who is going through the same thing I am, I should try to help. If you are here and you are going through this battle, just know that you are not alone. I know that you feel all alone because I feel it every day. My family and friends are always close but they aren’t the ones in the arena every single day facing this unrelenting monster.
