Aug 17, 1935 – Jan 24, 2020 (Age 84)
. . . After a love one you were really close to crosses over of cancer. You always feel the void but
after time, it truly turns out to be a blessing. Because its usually inevitable ‘turns out” you are glad you had that time with them in the end stage. Although I decided back in late February of 2006,
I would go on researching cancer to see which answers to cancer would turn up.
https://www.bing.com/search?q=
stage+4+pancreatic+cancer+
with+mets+to+liver+survivors&FORM=HDRSC1
Posted on February 17, 2014 by Ken
A person I talked to most recently through the world wide web is Lene Maria Søndermølle Steffensen who is a five year dedicated pancreatic cancer survivor of Neuroendocrine Carcinoid which is the same type Steve Jobs had. What Lene Maria does…. is look at other people’s lives as Nearly Fat, Sick & Dead and that’s the reason I included her story in my website amongst all the cancer survivors!!!
https://healthresearchfunding.
org/stage-4-pancreatic-cancer-life-expectancy/
There’s a long list of famous people that died of pancreatic cancer Jack Benny – 80
Aretha Franklin – 76 Joseph Cardinal Bernardin – 68 Patrick Swayze – 57 Steve Jobs – 56 . Michael Landon – 54 all the while Alex Trebek, at 79 remains optimistic he will beat his through the support of staying active.
https://pancreatica.org/
pancreatic-cancer-stories/richard-philbin/
Steve Jobs had a neuroendocrine tumor, a rare type of slow-growing pancreatic cancer
the same type that Lene Maria Søndermølle Steffensen beat through lifestyle changes and reduction in her stress levels. Although Steve Jobs died of pancreatic cancer, which was slow-growing and sometimes curable, however, a 2009 liver transplant suggested
he wasn’t winning his battle.
Lynne Holcomb was Given No Hope, Now a Survivor that Inspires Hope in Others.
Lynne Holcomb was in the best shape of her life, working as a personal trainer and teaching kickboxing for 25 years, when she was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and given 3-6 months to live. Her story is truly a miracle. Today she is a messenger of hope for others battling cancer, volunteering regularly. She is an inspiration to so many! In this video listen about her journey and how her faith was a vital piece in her healing and how she copes, and more importantly, how she LIVES!
Proverbs 31:25. “She is clothed in strength & dignity; she laughs at the days to come.”
Hear From Lynne about her treatment: “Yes, it was adenocarcinoma with a mass in my pancreas and 4 in her liver. Her immunotherapy drugs: Nivolumab, Ipilimumab and Cobimetinib was the winning combination that help her survive… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktjrQV9thHM
Roshar, Michael L. Passed away peacefully at home of Pancreatic Cancer on May 11, 2017, at the age of 67. Beloved husband of Millie (Nee Jensen), for 45 years. Loving and amazing father of Jeannie (Ryan) Roshar Higman, Tom (Jen) Roshar, and Leslie (Jon) Geske. Proud grandpa of Joya and Maisie Higman, Olivia and Fiona Roshar, Molly, Michael, and Carolyn Geske. Son of Charlotte and the late Louis Roshar. Brother of Peggy and Janet. Also loved by other relatives and friends. Mike enjoyed a forty-year career as an attorney, first in labor law with Mulcahy & Wherry, then in municipal finance at Quarles & Brady.
He enjoyed spending time with family, golfing, driving the boat at Lake Puckaway, margaritas at Botanas, and Packer games. His smile, jokes, sound advice, and April Fool’s Day pranks will be sorely missed. Memorial gathering at HALES CORNERS LUTHERAN CHURCH, 12300 W. Janesville Rd., Hales Corners, on Thursday, May 18, 2017, from 9AM-1PM. Memorial service at 1PM. Memorials appreciated to Adoration Lutheran Church in Greenfield or Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
As stated by his daughter Jeannie: Dad was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer February 12, 2013. His speech in this video tells his story which she couldn’t be more proud! My dad is the reason I started my blog to help others, because when he was diagnosed, no one was giving us any hope for a stage four diagnosis. Eight months out, we are so thankful that he is kicking butt and we celebrate every day! I could say more,
but I wouldn’t say it better than he says it himself!
https://www.everydayhealth.
com/columns/my-cancer-story/
how-my-fathers-death-from-
pancreatic-cancer-changed-my-career-path/
My dad diagnosed in July 2011 by Cancerkin on Thu May 23, 2013 12:29 PM …had 6 cycles of chemo (gemcetabine and cisplatin)…..and den traceva for 3 months…no treatment since jan 2012… Only ayurvedic medicines and diet changes and healthy living….last scan in feb 2013 showed liver mets almost gone ( on diagnoses der wer many in both lobes as big as 4 Cms) …pancreatic tumour shrunk to 1.5* 0.8 cms ( 7* 5 Cms on diagnoses)…my dad leads a very active life…he has been working full tym after the first chemo cycle…he wud have his chemo at the day care…it wud take about 5 hours and den go to work…never lost any hair…and never had any side effects apart from a mouth ulcer during the last cycle…in fact chemo made him more active…now it’s been 1 and half years since stopping all conventional treatments….and we continue to live life normally…most days cancer is not even mentioned…cheers to life. https://www.cancercompass.
com/message-board/message/all,71879,0.htm
Given just months to live in April 2014 with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, Phil Zeblisky now has no detectable tumors. There is hope even for patients with advanced Stage 4 advanced Pancreatic Ducal Adencarcinmoma (PDA). Announced in February, 2014, A new course of action, prescribing chemotherapy based on genetic research has led to a Happy New Year for Phoenix resident Phil Zeblisky who benefited from cutting-edge clinical trial preformed by TGen and the Scottsdale Lincoln Health Network. Phil Zeblisky was one of 10 patients in this unique clinical trial focused on personalized therapy and treatment. The trial was partially funded by the Seena Magowitz Foundation. Phil died on an early January morning after LIVING with stage 4 pancreatic cancer for three years and eight months. Along the journey he brought hope to so many others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-ycQufrgK4
Pancreatic patient, Phil Zeblisky passed away January, 2018 just days after mustering the strength to write this touching piece giving advice to pancreatic patients to always sustain faith and positive attitude which Phil believed leads to longer life spans and a better quality of life. With his warrior attitude and help from his medical team he conjured-up the courage and will to live for 44 months. Phil was an avid supporter of the Seena Magowitz Foundation. His widow, Kathy continues to generously support the mission of the Foundation. We miss Phil and are forever grateful for his kindness, generosity, positive attitude and wisdom he shared with other patients and their loved-ones.
https://www.legacy.com/
obituaries/azcentral/obituary.aspx?pid=188011492
https://letswinpc.org/tag/
managing-pancreatic-cancer-diet/
https://letswinpc.org/
managing-pancreatic-cancer/
2019/10/09/pancreatic-enzymes-explained/
https://www.bing.com/search?q=phil+zeblisky&FORM=HDRSC1
https://www.quora.com/What-is-
the-life-expectancy-for-stage-4-pancreatic-cancer
https://www.blogforacure.com/
members.php?type=pancreatic+cancer
Katie Couric’s Advice to Her Younger Self Before Serving as a Cancer Caregiver!
Katie Couric reflects on life and lessons learned after losing her husband to cancer.
BY Katie Kosko
PUBLISHED August 13, 2019
Katie Couric has heldmany titles — news anchor, wife, sister, mother. But her role as caregiver-turned-advocate more than two decades ago became a new challenge that’s left a lasting impact.
Her first husband, Jay, died of colorectal cancer just nine months after learning he had the disease, and Couric found herself trying to pick up the pieces for her two young daughters. A few years later, she faced the same nightmare — this time with her sister Emily, who was diagnosed with and died of pancreatic cancer.
Since then Couric has worked to help fund research for cutting-edge treatments and raise awareness about all cancers. In an interview with Heal®, she opens up about her losses, a new cancer initiative and the advice she would give her younger self.
Heal®: How did you cope with the deaths of your first husband and your sister? What was that like for you?
Couric: When both my husband Jay and sister Emily died of cancer, it was devastating for our families. Jay passed away first from colorectal cancer. Our daughters were 6 and 2 at the time, and it’s really hard to describe the kind of heartbreak that ensued after he passed away. Our hopes and dreams, what I thought was going to be a long and happy life together, just vanished into thin air after his nine-month battle. And it was a shock when my sister called me just a couple of years later, and said, “I have pancreatic cancer, and it’s spread to all over my liver.” I think that it’s hard to describe for people what it’s like unless you’ve been there, and you have to rebuild your life. Thomas Jefferson once said that the earth is for the living and we’re all terminal. So I wanted to try to have a full and happy life, even if it meant doing so without my husband. I had two little girls who were depending on me. I didn’t have the luxury or the time to put the covers over my head and give up.
I think people find a way to go on because they have to go on. Read More:
Aug 23, 2014 · Hi everyone, My father 63 years old was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and liver metastasis and gastric invasion in April 28.From may we started chemotherapy with Gemzar once per week for 7 weeks then break 2 weeks after we were changed chemo with irinotecan one per week for 4 weeks. At beginning chemotherapy with irinotecan father felt very good, markers decreases.
Rose Ireland-Black, of St. Clair Shores, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2008.
She said she was experiencing a lot of indigestion, but figured that “most everybody in the world has” that at some point or another. But when she began inexplicably losing weight,
“I went in, went through a series of tests, CT scans and endoscopies, (and) they discovered it.” She was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor, a type of pancreatic tumor that only one in a million people will be diagnosed with. Rose said there are eight “deadliest” cancers, and pancreatic cancer is one of those. Rose Ireland-Black takes overcoming her fears head on, whether it’s being afraid of flying or pancreatic cancer.
Her determination to find out what was wrong with her when she knew something was not right brought her to Diane Simeone, M.D. at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Find out more about pancreatic cancer at the University of Michigan at www.mcancer.org/pancreatic.
Ireland-Black went with a group of 10 other members of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to meet with Sen. Debbie Stabenow, and a smaller group to meet with Rep. Sander Levin, on June 23, 2015 in Washington, D.C. The groups were asking their representatives — to support a budget agreement that would provide the National Institute of Health with $33 billion in the 2016 fiscal year, including a proportional $5.4 billion for the National Cancer Institute. In addition, Ireland-Black said, they asked them to continue to include pancreatic cancer in the Department of Defense Peer Review Cancer Research Program with a funding level of at least $50 million, and asked them to join the Congressional Caucus on the deadliest cancers. Read More: https://www.candgnews.com/
news/local-woman-fighting-
awareness-pancreatic-cancer-84728
Dr. Robert Martin & Elise Tedeschi-Stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/
mother-who-survived-stage-4-
pancreatic-cancer-pens-letter-to-alex-trebek/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYxKI9UIcbA
Dr. Robert Martin is a general surgeon in Louisville, Kentucky and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Jewish Hospital and Norton Children’s Hospital. He received his medical degree from University of Louisville School of Medicine and has been
in practice for more than 20 years.
A stage four pancreatic cancer survivor, Bob Etzel remembers being told his cancer would kill him. Throughout chemotherapy treatments, radiation and surgery, Bob stayed positive and survived his battle with cancer against all odds. Visit https://oncology.associates/beating-pancreatic-cancer/
to read more about Bob’s story of surviving #PancreaticCancer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1QOBad7W5c
Kay Kays, Patient Advocate in Research, with a special focus on pancreatic cancer, a DoD Pancreatic Cancer Consumer Reviewer; and on the University of Arizona GI SPORE External Advisory Board; and their Tissue Donor Awareness Project. Kay is an 18 year pancreatic cancer survivor is our feature interview for Voice for Life from ASCO 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUI7d1ELfV0
Many times when I find stories with out happy ending I find a long time survivor:
When Camille Moses was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer in March 2012, all she wanted to do was visit her native home of New York City during Christmas. “I thought it would be my last Christmas and wanted to see the Christmas windows because I had done that as a child,” said Moses, who lives in Miami, Fla. She also wanted to meet her favorite “Good Morning America” anchor, Ron Claiborne. On a whim, she decided to message him on Facebook to see if a visit to the studio was possible. “Now I’m going to embarrass myself,” said Moses as she re-read the message she sent six years ago to Claiborne. https://letswinpc.org/
videos/2019/08/22/long-term-survivor-you-can-overcome-it/
Hi Ron,
I have the biggest crush on you. I am battling stage IV pancreatic cancer. Since then I’m trying to do fun things with my daughter. We will be in New York City Dec. 7-10. Is there any way we can come to Good Morning America to meet you? It will be the highlight of my trip.
To her surprise, he responded immediately.
“I know more about pancreatic cancer now, but I didn’t know a lot then. I knew this was very serious,” Claiborne said. “I thought, if I can accommodate her, if I can grant her wish and have her come up, see the set and meet the people – great, I’d love to make it happen.”
“The illness brought us together, but it’s not what keeps us together. I don’t think of Camille as the woman with pancreatic cancer who wrote me,
I think of her as a friend coming up to visit.”
— Ron Claiborn
Reimagining the Possible to Survive Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer.
Marisa Harris tells her story in:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrhIi-unDbg
• Given a poor prognosis after being diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer
• Focused on positivity, and people who defied the odds
• Found a doctor who combined chemotherapy and complementary treatments
• Now a long-term survivor helping others
This spring—2018—is 20 years since I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
I had a long history of gastrointestinal problems, so any time I had stomach aches and back aches, I figured it was just my sensitive GI tract. Also I felt that my priorities were work, family, and training for a marathon. Because of my history, I didn’t pay attention to the symptoms.
But after a horseback riding accident I noticed a hard swelling in my groin. I went to my internist, who said it was an enlarged lymph node caused by my accident. However, when my gynecologist saw the swelling during a routine examination, she thought this needed immediate attention, and sent me to a surgeon. He suspected it was cancer, and immediately scheduled me for surgery.
After some tests, the oncologist sat down with my husband and me and said I had stage IV pancreatic cancer. I didn’t know where my pancreas was but I soon found out what stage IV meant. My husband asked what this meant in terms of my life span and the oncologist said I had six months, maybe nine if I was lucky. I said “There must be something that can be done—chemotherapy, surgery.” But the doctor said I was medically incurable and medically untreatable.
I was shocked. I felt like an outcast in my own world, like a sheet of glass came down in front of me, and I was exiled from everything I knew.
Changing How I Thought
Had that doctor said “Let’s try chemotherapy” I would have done it and looked no further. But I was told nothing could be done.
Being told nothing can be done was life-changing for me.
I took a leave from my job and started researching. But the negativity increased when I went to a bookstore and looked up pancreatic cancer. Remember, the statistics were worse 20 years ago than they are today. I slammed the book shut and decided I was never going to read anything negative about pancreatic cancer or stage IV cancers of any type.
I had spent most of my lifetime asking the question “Why do some people manage or navigate more successfully through the worst circumstances—what do they bring to those situations?” I decided to put into practice those characteristics, to do what I could to live happier and if possible longer. In the first shock of the prognosis, I asked “How can I have the best death?” Soon after, I turned my attention to those people who live longer
than the odds or even survive.
The hundreds of articles and research studies became the basis of my healing program.
With years of experience of hiring at all levels in a corporation, I never would have hired someone who believed that we would fail. So the first step for me was to find a brilliant, impeccably trained oncologist who believed in the possibility that I could get well again. Also, I realized that positivity was key for both the quality and quantity of my life, so I decided to be the CEO of my own healing program. I needed a team of experts, headed up by that oncologist, but one who understood that many factors contribute to getting well and staying well. I went from doctor to doctor asking the question, “Who do you know that would work with me to get better?” I asked and asked, until I got an answer.
Finding the Right Oncologist
Finally, I was referred to Dr. Mitchell Gaynor*, who practiced integrative oncology. He believed that medicine alone was not sufficient, and that patients needed to include changes on the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual realms. When I met with him, Dr. Gaynor said there was so much I could do. He also said whether or not I chose him for my treatment I should come to his support group. I was astounded that he ran his own support group, which included chanting and Tibetan bowls. I was reluctant to go to the first meeting because I was scared to be around people who would be talking about pain and dying. At his group I met people who were exercising, even running, while in stage IV. Meeting Dr. Gaynor’s patients, who were so filled with life, led me to choose him as my oncologist.
The quality of their experience was a very important factor in my decision.
https://letswinpc.org/my-
treatment/2018/04/13/
reimagining-the-possible-survive-pancreatic-cancer/
Because of an extensive family history of cancer—my mother, father, sisters, uncles, and both grandmothers had died of cancer—Dr. Gaynor suggested genetic testing. In fact, he was the first doctor to suggest this to me. He sent me for a biopsy, and I found out that I carried the BRCA2 gene.
I didn’t start chemotherapy right away—the other oncologists I had seen were adamant that chemotherapy would at most give me a couple of extra months, and leave me sick as a dog! I told him that I wanted to try his non-medical interventions first. He agreed, realizing that I was not going to be persuaded at this time.
Dr. Gaynor changed my diet, put me on supplements and some prescription medications, recommended a trainer to teach me exercises to complement my running, and recommended a cancer therapist to deal with fears around my diagnosis and unresolved trauma from the past. My tumor markers dropped, and I was physically, mentally, and emotionally feeling better, but the CT scans showed no improvement. He persuaded me to do chemotherapy, saying that he felt that without it the cancer would spread to my brain. In truth, he scared me into doing it. He put me on a regimen of carboplatin, Taxol, and Taxotere. I had chemotherapy for seven months.
He prescribed supplements and drugs to bolster my immune system, to alleviate some of the side effects and to destroy cancer cells.
Once I made the decision to undergo chemo, I decided I was going to have fun in the chemo room and was going to celebrate being there. Instead of seeing the chemo as toxic, I saw it as a gift from dedicated scientists. I made wonderful friends among patients and nurses. I lost my hair, which was tough, because I believed it was my best physical feature. This unusual oncologist shared with me that sometimes we have to lose what we think is most important to us to realize who we truly are. Wigs made me itch, so I wore the cutest hats that hid nothing, realized I wouldn’t have another bad hair day, and, in some odd way felt more beautiful than I ever had before.
I continued eating foods that are good for the body, and taking supplements that strengthened my immune system. I underwent acupuncture to minimize or eradicate the side effects such as nausea and neuropathy. It took a while for the treatments to show results but I was feeling positive. I was also loving my life—going to the rehearsals of the Philharmonic—up-leveling my relationships with my family, colleagues, and even strangers!
After treatment ended I had regular follow-ups. I had CT scans every eight weeks for 10 years, but Dr. Gaynor realized I was getting a lot of radiation so we switched to MRIs. I also had blood work every three months for tumor markers. Years later, because of continuing concerns about other cancers, I had genetic testing for a second time. This time the test was done at a bigger lab, and I found out that I carried the BRCA1 mutation.
Now I see my oncologist every six months for various scans and I have blood work every four months. I have a team of doctors at NYU Langone Health that works together proactively.
The Power Within
Once I started changing my diet and doing the other things Dr. Gaynor recommended, I felt empowered and confident. I was focusing on my quality of life, not just the quantity of life. I was not willing to hear negativity from anyone. I took charge of my life.
I immersed myself in getting well. I focused on making up a great life by the years, the months, the weeks, the days. I decided that if I recovered I would never have another unhappy day. Later I realized that in some ways the hardest work in the world is to think and act in a way that is congruent with what we would really love to think, feel and do. It is so normal to react negatively to challenges. But I got better and better at deciding I could create a great life. I deepened my spiritual connections with my husband and my religion. And I continued to focus on the positivity. This process of thinking, feeling, and acting in a way that supports what we most want is a lifelong commitment.
A Positive Life
The minute I started feeling more hopeful I started sharing my experience with anyone facing a life-ending diagnosis. I have become a certified master integrative coach, a cancer coach, and certified in mind-body medicine, and a resilience practitioner. These steps and more were to help guide and serve people going through what may seem like hopeless odds. I have found that serving others is one of the most uplifting things we can do.
It is important to educate the medical community to use everyday terms so we can understand. And we must ask questions when we don’t understand. Even more important, we can remind the medical community of the essential power of our minds to impact the qualitative experience and the quantitative experience. I advise patients to choose doctors and healing professionals that have a positive attitude, that see patients as partners in the process of healing, and that share information with each other so that they can best serve the whole person.
The most important advice is don’t try to do this alone. Know that healing from cancer requires you to really heal every part of your life. Be part of a support group—real or online—get a coach, and ask for help and give help while navigating through treatment and after.
*Dr. Gaynor passed away in 2015.