* Pancreatic Cancer will affect more than 46,000 people this year.
*Pancreatic Cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to detect and treat...mainly because there are few early stage symptoms and it is often not diagnosed until the cancer is well advanced.
*Pancreatic Cancer does not discriminate and will strike just as many men as women.
*Pancreatic Cancer is traditionally treated in one of 3 ways: chemotherapy, surgery and/or radiotherapy.
*Pancreatic Cancer treatments are generally not curative, meaning that the treatments are only used to help prolong a patient's life, not cure them.
*Pancreatic Cancer's 5 year survival rate is only about 6%.
*Pancreatic Cancer will be the cause of death for more than 39,000 people this year.
* * * * *
These Pancreatic Cancer statistics are beyond sobering. They are horrific and unbelievably discouraging to those of us personally affected...
Might I share some of the notes we have received from the so-called statistics? Profoundly raw emotion, with hearts torn and grieved...
"My father is 67, diagnosed in March, stage 4,
inoperable. He is between rounds 5 and 6 of Flofrinox but I think he's about
had enough. He means so much to me, my mom, my three boys. He is/was the rock
in our lives and we are all trying desperately to hold it all together. My
thoughts and prayers are with you, your mom and your family." ~ Stacy
"I am the 52 year old daughter of a 72 year old
mother with stage iv terminal cancer which has metasticized to her
liver. Just wondering how you all got through it. I am constantly
sad and depressed. Trying to get hope, but realizing hope is in short supply.
What did you do to get past this? I spend all my time on the net trying to find
a cure for that which has no cure. Will we come to any time of peace with this?" ~ Mary
"my
father-in-law also just found out he has cancer..Very scary he has stage 2
Pancreatic cancer. I lost my dad in 2005 and this is really hard on me to cope
with... " ~ Trinity
"Good afternoon. My dearest friend was just diagnosed in
September with pancreatic cancer - she is 51 - she had the whipple surgery done
in October (2012) in Pittsburgh PA. Two days before Christmas Eve they found out the
cancer was in her liver and there was nothing more that they could do. She then
went to Texas in January where she could not even receive "clinical
trials" as the cancer was in liver, abdomen, neck lymph node and lung.
She cannot eat due to the Whipple surgery as much as she tries & tries. She
is in so much pain. Then the chemo that she is getting (she is getting 4
treatments once every two weeks) is just wearing her down. I am so afraid for
her. She is getting weak. The pain is unbearable. I cannot stand to see my dear friend so sad and in so much
pain. Thank you so much for listening." ~ Fran
* * * * *
The ache is palpable. These are the Pancreatic Cancer statistics that truly matter. Our mothers, our fathers, our husbands, our friends... families torn apart with the agony of this cancer.
And I would be living in an endless black hole of depression if I thought there was no hope...
Oh, but, there is. HOPE. In Giant Letters. Pointing us onward in our journeys. Believe it. Hang on to it. Fight for it.
HOPE is the reason we can take that first step and then the next step and the next...
We've also received so many more letters like the following. Read on, be lifted up. Know that there is HOPE, no matter where this journey takes you...
"My brother was just diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic
cancer. He is 49 and has a 2 yr old son. The fight is on! Similar to your
described diagnosis, he has a tumor that is inoperable and has surrounded his
arteries by 50%. He is planning on getting a nerve block for the pain tomorrow.
Chemo will start when he heals from the exploratory surgery that found the
problem." ~ Scott
"Dad's cancer was discovered at stage IV with metastasis to the spine
and lungs. It is strange to look back and see in retrospect that shoulder pain
he had last fall (thinking it was a pulled muscle from an afternoon of raking
leaves) was actually a result of metastasis since the mass in the spine is
pressing on nerves. Looking back, that was one of the first hints there was anything
wrong, and clearly, the cancer was already well on the move before he even knew
it. As the specialists he saw confirmed, and as you already know, this is such
a tough disease given that it's usually at an advanced stage before one ever
knows it. I think you captured those feelings when you said you felt as if
you'd been thrown under the bus before you could even do anything about it.
Well said. My parents had time in between all the consultations and
appointments to consider how to proceed should our worst fears of a pancreatic
cancer diagnosis be realized. Given all that was shared with him by the
specialists (at Duke University Cancer Center - "top drawer" as he
says!) and the overall prognosis, he declined chemo. He did not want to prolong
life for a brief time only to have that time be on chemo and interfere with
quality of life that he might otherwise have. After he said that, the
oncologist actually said she thought that was wise in this case (and that she
doesn't usually share opinions like that). As a result, all treatment is
palliative. He has had radiation to the spine to attempt to arrest that growth
and alleviate pain as that's where most of his pain has been centered, and that
treatment is finished. At this time, the pain meds have been tweaked to a point
where they are managing his pain well. That's a blessing. We (my husband and I
have a 4 1/2 year old son - my parents' only grandchild and the light of their
lives) have been spending time with him continuing to make memories and make
the most of this time. As you said, we have no regrets. We're a close and
loving family so we've always been very appreciative and lived life to the
fullest. He had open heart surgery 6 years ago and considers all the time he's
had since then to be a huge gift, particularly because we had our son in that
time. He has an amazing sense of peace. I know that is God's grace at work
here, and for that we are thankful. Despite the heartbreak and sorrow, I can
see the good gifts in this time, and I am thankful for the lessons we are
learning by his courageous example." ~ Collette
Two very different journeys, but both sharing HOPE with abandon. Might you feel it too?
When the statistics for Pancreatic Cancer are read, let it loudly be noted, in your life and mine, that God's grace is at work here... and The Fight is on!
Graced with Hope tonight.
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