I wrote this in October 2010. It was saved as a draft and I guess I never hit "Publish."
Three years ago, my mom was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. It would be another 18 days before we knew that it was Stage 4, but just hearing the initial diagnosis was hard enough.
Hope. It’s the one thing you can’t live without, and unfortunately for most pancreatic cancer patients, it’s the one thing that’s very hard to come by.
Of the “Big 10” cancers, pancreatic is the only one whose 5-year survival rate is in the single digits. Yes, you heard that right – a mere 5% of patients survive 5 years from diagnosis. And a whopping 75% die within the first year.
Over the course of less than a month, I saw my mom morph from an outgoing, vibrant retiree into a feeble, forgetful, frightened old woman in a broken body. She didn’t want people to see her that way, so she withdrew into her shell. It was like she went from 64 to 90 practically overnight. But the biggest change was the feeling of hopelessness. It was insidious, and as hard as we tried to keep it at bay, it was a persistent little bugger. Suddenly Mom looked haunted – and no matter how bravely she kept up a strong front, it was apparent in her eyes. As my brother put it, it was like the smile had left her eyes – and she had the type of eyes that were always smiling.
And that was all because of pancreatic cancer … the cancer ate away at her body while the statistics ate away at her hope. It’s hard to be hopeful when you’re faced with such grim figures. Most Stage 4 patients die within 3-4 months after diagnosis – Mom made it 4 months and 3 days. 126 days. Which was exactly half the time it took for me to grow my oldest child (the one born a month early, even).
The one beacon of light shining hope through the dark is the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. It’s where we turned when we were looking for answers and for information – and yes, for hope. It’s the organization most responsible for raising awareness and much-needed funds for research. They’re the advocates who are tirelessly campaigning within Congress for more federal funding. And they’re the ones who are funding research grants so that passionate and dedicated scientists and doctors can make some improvement in the detection/treatment process.
It’s a race against time, since only a small percentage of patients are diagnosed while their cancer is still in the early stages. And unlike most of the other cancers, there has been virtually no change in the statistics in the past 40 years. Don’t you agree that it’s time to change that?
My family and I will be walking in PanCAN’s PurpleStride 5K Family Walk on November 13th. It’s my greatest hope that the funds we raise will help in the battle to put an end to this cancer – or at the very least, bring hope to other patients and their families through the form of earlier detection and more effective treatments.
In the end, it all boils down to hope. While it was indescribably hard to watch my mom lose her life, it was really almost harder to watch her lose her hope. Because what is life without hope, anyway? No one should have to live – or die – that way.
Through PanCAN, I found Kate Thaxton, a determined young woman who was diagnosed with Stage 4 at age 35. She died in June after a 3½ year battle, but she was an inspiration to so many. In her blog she wrote, “The purple community is small, stubborn, and ever hopeful. We’re that proverbial junkyard dog, scrappy and feisty, not going down without a fight. Help me spread the word about pancreatic cancer. We may not be pink, but we’re just as proud.”
When we walk in PurpleStride on November 13th, we will be doing so in memory of Mom and of Kate. We’ll be celebrating their lives and their spirits. We’ll be proudly wearing our purple shirts. And we’ll be hoping.
Three years ago, my mom was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. It would be another 18 days before we knew that it was Stage 4, but just hearing the initial diagnosis was hard enough.
Hope. It’s the one thing you can’t live without, and unfortunately for most pancreatic cancer patients, it’s the one thing that’s very hard to come by.
Of the “Big 10” cancers, pancreatic is the only one whose 5-year survival rate is in the single digits. Yes, you heard that right – a mere 5% of patients survive 5 years from diagnosis. And a whopping 75% die within the first year.
Over the course of less than a month, I saw my mom morph from an outgoing, vibrant retiree into a feeble, forgetful, frightened old woman in a broken body. She didn’t want people to see her that way, so she withdrew into her shell. It was like she went from 64 to 90 practically overnight. But the biggest change was the feeling of hopelessness. It was insidious, and as hard as we tried to keep it at bay, it was a persistent little bugger. Suddenly Mom looked haunted – and no matter how bravely she kept up a strong front, it was apparent in her eyes. As my brother put it, it was like the smile had left her eyes – and she had the type of eyes that were always smiling.
And that was all because of pancreatic cancer … the cancer ate away at her body while the statistics ate away at her hope. It’s hard to be hopeful when you’re faced with such grim figures. Most Stage 4 patients die within 3-4 months after diagnosis – Mom made it 4 months and 3 days. 126 days. Which was exactly half the time it took for me to grow my oldest child (the one born a month early, even).
The one beacon of light shining hope through the dark is the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. It’s where we turned when we were looking for answers and for information – and yes, for hope. It’s the organization most responsible for raising awareness and much-needed funds for research. They’re the advocates who are tirelessly campaigning within Congress for more federal funding. And they’re the ones who are funding research grants so that passionate and dedicated scientists and doctors can make some improvement in the detection/treatment process.
It’s a race against time, since only a small percentage of patients are diagnosed while their cancer is still in the early stages. And unlike most of the other cancers, there has been virtually no change in the statistics in the past 40 years. Don’t you agree that it’s time to change that?
My family and I will be walking in PanCAN’s PurpleStride 5K Family Walk on November 13th. It’s my greatest hope that the funds we raise will help in the battle to put an end to this cancer – or at the very least, bring hope to other patients and their families through the form of earlier detection and more effective treatments.
In the end, it all boils down to hope. While it was indescribably hard to watch my mom lose her life, it was really almost harder to watch her lose her hope. Because what is life without hope, anyway? No one should have to live – or die – that way.
Through PanCAN, I found Kate Thaxton, a determined young woman who was diagnosed with Stage 4 at age 35. She died in June after a 3½ year battle, but she was an inspiration to so many. In her blog she wrote, “The purple community is small, stubborn, and ever hopeful. We’re that proverbial junkyard dog, scrappy and feisty, not going down without a fight. Help me spread the word about pancreatic cancer. We may not be pink, but we’re just as proud.”
When we walk in PurpleStride on November 13th, we will be doing so in memory of Mom and of Kate. We’ll be celebrating their lives and their spirits. We’ll be proudly wearing our purple shirts. And we’ll be hoping.
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