Back to Normal

Dr. Richard Dotson

• Abdominal cramping led to diagnosis
• Whipple procedure and chemotherapy
• Being a doctor gave me the advantage to self-advocate

I was diagnosed with stage II pancreatic adenocarcinoma in May of 2024.

Two years later, I have no evidence of disease in my body and am back to living a normal life. This is my story.

Diagnosis and Treatment

I started having abdominal cramping, so my doctor ordered tests: an abdominal ultrasound, endoscopy, colonoscopy, CT scan, and an MRI. My journey in discovering this tumor took more than six months of testing and more than one inaccurate diagnosis before the tumor was identified via MRI. I sought out several oncologists and ended up with Dr. Daniel Laheru at the Johns Hopkins Sydney Kimmel Cancer Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.

My doctor ordered six months of chemotherapy and a Whipple procedure to remove a two-centimeter tumor from the head of my pancreas. The chemo treatment we chose was 5-FU along with several other medications.

The Challenges

This treatment course had its challenges. I experienced weight loss, decreased appetite, weakness, and cold sensitivity. I am a medical doctor and having the knowledge of medicine and being my own best self-advocate was a great help for me. I received lots of prayers, love, and support from both family and friends. I used meditation, acupuncture, exercise, and healthy eating throughout my treatment course. I chronicled my journey in a book I’ve written and published titled Unbroken: A Survivor’s Guide to Beating Cancer.

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I’ve been free of all treatment for more than one year and I’m feeling totally normal and healthy. In fact, I am back to doing all the things I did before my diagnosis!

Encouragement

I want to encourage anyone who has received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer as I did more than two years ago to be hopeful, prayerful, and optimistic about the potential positive outcomes that are available during these days ahead of you. Lean on your faith, your family, and the friends who love you to give you the support you will need during your treatment course. There are many pancreatic cancer long-term survivors who live disease-free with the help of drugs and treatments that were not available in the past. I am a living witness to the power of prayer, perseverance, and modern medicine. Where there is faith, there is no fear.

Peace and blessings to you all!