Survivor Stories

532 articles

Survivor Stories
May 17, 2017 • 3 Min

A Big Teaching Hospital Can Make All the Difference

When Bob Tirk’s local doctor couldn’t figure out the source of his pain, he went to a large teaching hospital, where he was treated for pancreatic cancer.

Survivor Stories
May 30, 2017 • 3 Min

Pancreatic Cancer Leads to a New Direction

After Sheila Sky Kasselman recovered from pancreatic cancer treatment, she became a pancreatic cancer activist, determined to help find more treatments.

Survivor Stories
February 19, 2018 • 3 Min

Keeping My Promise Led to an Earlier Diagnosis

Yolanda L. Jackson promised her doctor she would get a CT scan of her digestive tract. This led to an early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

Survivor Stories
March 20, 2018 • 5 Min

A Routine Physical Saved My Life

John Moisan’s doctor noticed he had lost weight, and insisted he get an abdominal CT scan. They found a pancreatic tumor and he had a pancreatectomy.

Survivor Stories
June 20, 2017 • 4 Min

The Relatively New Procedure of Irreversible Electroporation Has Given Me Time

When chemotherapy and radiation stopped working, Leslie Wineberg was glad to qualify for irreversible electroporation (IRE).

Survivor Stories
June 13, 2018 • 7 Min

Aiming to be More than a Statistic

Dr. Paul Silverstein knew that he needed genomic testing, immunotherapy, and a clinical trial in his battle with pancreatic cancer.

Survivor Stories
July 13, 2018 • 6 Min

A Longer Plan with Treatment Options

Susan Riddle had chemotherapy and radiation before she qualified for NanoKnife treatment, all to control her pancreatic cancer.

Survivor Stories
July 26, 2018 • 3 Min

Tougher Than Cancer

Not even Hurricane Harvey could stop Kayi Lewis from getting the radiation treatment she needed as she battled pancreatic cancer.

Survivor Stories
September 4, 2018 • 5 Min

Picking the Right Team

Brigitte Régnier found a treatment team that was using an unusual approach of giving chemoradiation before surgery for pancreatic cancer.

Survivor Stories
August 14, 2017 • 3 Min

Pancreatic Cancer Caught Early by Chance

Sandra Wilke chose her pancreatic cancer treatment of chemotherapy and pancreatectomy with an eye to her quality of life. She joined the tumor registry to learn more and help others.

Survivor Stories
September 17, 2018 • 4 Min

Failure is Not an Option

Christine Shaffer underwent chemotherapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy to shrink her tumor for surgery. She says failure is not an option.

Survivor Stories
November 27, 2017 • 2 Min

Very Fortunate to Have the Whipple

Six years after surgery to remove an IPMN neoplasm, Rosemary Buden found out she had pancreatic cancer and needed a Whipple procedure.

Survivor Stories
December 8, 2017 • 5 Min

Quality of Life and Following My Dream

Lee Wonnacott valued his quality of life when he chose treatment for IPMN. Now he rides his motorcycle around the country to honor veterans.

Survivor Stories
August 18, 2020 • 4 Min

The Value of Molecular Profiling and Genetic Testing

Gina Harrison underwent molecular profiling of her pancreatic tumor, which led her to a clinical trial. Genetic testing showed her BRCA1 mutation was random.

Survivor Stories
November 3, 2020 • 6 Min

The Importance of Family and Friends

Michael Florio has been able to count on his family and friends to get him to pancreatic cancer treatment and support him through a Whipple procedure.