First, find the doctor who isn’t going to give up. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for a high-volume pancreatic surgeon. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do surgery as my tumor was on the tail. But because I was strong otherwise, he prescribed the strongest chemo and radiation for me.

My treatment had bad effects on other things – I ended up with osteoporosis, a bleeding ulcer and vertebrae fractures. But the good news is I survived all that and it shrunk the tumor, so it’s been five years instead of one. My biggest support besides God came from my amazing husband, my kids and our community.

I am still here, down to a CT scan every four months and maybe six if this next one is good. I also have an amazing doctor. I plan on doing some of the PurpleStride walks now, and my doctor says she might join me.

So, don’t ever give up, we didn’t.

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