Pancreatic Cancer | Eric's Story

Chicago resident, Eric, and his wife, Christine, share the experience of his stage 3 pancreatic cancer diagnosis and the actions taken to get a second opinion. Their research ultimately led him to the surgical oncology team at Johns Hopkins, where he underwent an aggressive treatment plan that included extensive chemotherapy and radiation therapy followed by a modified Appleby procedure, an operation designed to treat locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

Now five years after surgery, Eric reflects on his enhanced quality of life and the joys every moment spent with his family brings.

[kcoxqgu]

I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Did chemo and radiation. My tumor was attached to the artery. Luckily it shrank. They removed the bottom half of my pancreas and spleen. I am now going into my 10 th year cancer free.

[andreburke]

I had the same story Eric had. At the age of 38 I was diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer. I'm still alive after the whipple procedure and I am truly blessed and thankful

[stevewickland]

At age 70, I biked 20 miles one Saturday. Within a week, I turned yellow. I saw my primary care doctor on Thursday, . After failing a blood test at his office, I had endoscopic surgery on Friday, with the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer a week later. Testing continued. A month later I had whipple surgery. After 6 months of chemotherapy followed by liver damage for 5 months, I am now cancer free with a healed liver. Praise to God! All my treatment including surgery was within 40 miles of my home in West Virginia. This has all occurred since May 1, 2019. I lead a normal life except for neuropathy.

[socrates]

He is so profoundly lucky as most people diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer die within a year. Five years after diagnosis and he is healthy with a good life This is really inspiring.

[patclifford]

This is beyond rare, its almost a winning lottery ticket. You should feel extremely blessed..

[sunpark]

my mom was just diagnosed... im trying to be strong to be a strong support system but i cant stop crying

[SianneMusic]

I lost my father 4 weeks ago, he had pancreatic cancer stage IV. He was diagnosed in October 2019 and had the whipple procedure done in June 2020 but unfortunately the cancer came back elsewhere.
He was the strongest man I knew and I am so proud of him.

This video is truly inspiring so never lose hope!

[gregorythomas]

My father was just diagnosed with PC last month. This story has given me hope. I am happy to see such a beautiful family share more time together. God bless you all!

[je]

My brother was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer. Was admitted to JH but unfortunately the cancer had already spread to other organs. The care he received at JH was beyond words. All the nurses and most doctors were so caring. Thank you JH for treating my Brother with dignity and respect until his last seconds on earth.

[AR-ghwe]

Truly inspiring ! My husband has been diagnosed with a tumor in pancreas, will get the biopsy report after 3 days. We are devastated but your story gives us strength and hope. I m sure my husband will be fine. God bless you ❤️❤️ Need prayers for my husband's complete recovery 🙏🙏

[Idk-ytwx]

My grandfather suffer from it I'm so depressed I dont know what to do I love him so much I hope he is going to get better everyone your health is the most important thing there are people that love you from the bottom of their heart so be thankful.Anyways thanks for reading wish you all the best.🙏

[jovanaavramovic]

I just wanted to say that my mum was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She went to chemo and had two surgeries even though they didn’t want to operate at all. Doctor successfully removed everything and she is now recovering. When she got sick we had no idea about this illness, what are the statistics, can you even cure this and all those questions and that’s when I started searching on the internet. I noticed that people are very negative. I get that you are not in a good place or someone close to you may have died from this, but comments like PC is a death sentence is not going to help anyone. It’s irresponsible to write things like that. You are taking people’s hope and that’s all they’ve got. All I can say is that whatever the circumstances are, you must HOPE, because it’s the biggest power you can have. We are so much more than statistics.

[miracleaniaaa]

Most people live 3-4 months after being diagnosed.. But my dad was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer.. By the time they found out, it was stage 4 and they said he'd only life 3 months, he lived with it for 5 and a half years, then in March he passed away.

[johnstoneberg]

My wife was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in November of 2016. She had excellent treatment at UPMC in Pittsburgh. She did chemo and radiation but died from blood loss after the Whipple surgery on August 24th 2017. The chemo and radiation had damaged the veins too badly, and she essentialy bled to death. We had the joy of celebrating our 50th anniversary in April of 2017. Oddly, prior to her diagnosis, while she was hospitalized for pancreatitis, she showed no cancer markers at all. She told the docs that she knew she had cancer, but no one was believing her. Finally, they did a needle biopsy, and the nightmare began. I miss her every day. My youngest son is a palliative care doc, and he told me from the beginning that it would be fatal to his mom. He uses his experience and teaches everyone he can about the importance of Advanced Directives, Health Care POAs and living wills.

[Jityyboat]

Last night I found out my grandma had pancreatic cancer. It’s really hard. 6 years ago. My older sister died at the age of 15 from a brain tumour. This gives me some hope. Thank you

[cakeman]

My grandfather is suffering from Pancreatic Cancer at Stage 4. The doctors are trying to give him as much care as possible and trying their best to keep him alive.

[felisahausner]

God bless everyone ! My friend had pancreatic cancer in stage 4 praying for miracles from God!

[christinemoore]

So good to see a man who has survived pancreatic cancer. Just hope it doesn’t reoccur in him as it often does with people. My mother died from pancreatic cancer. She had the Whipples surgery but the cancer came back and spread to her liver and lung. She stayed alive for about 18 months after diagnosis

[benjaminadrainrivera]

My father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His weight peaked at 185 at his time of death he was around 115. Terrible pain the last moment of his life, throwing up lost of appetite. He only survived 7 months and they diagnosed his cancer at 6 months. Rip papa. I miss you.

[funtimefranky]

Terrible the way the doc delivered the news but so glad you made it through the surgery and treatment. I’m really happy for you and your family, stay blessed.