When I learned I had pancreatic cancer, I wondered what difference would it have made for me to get genetic testing? I had no idea the role my genetic make-up played in my success as a survivor 14 years later.
Read More
I have struggled writing this blog, finding it impossible to finish a thought with tears welling up and at times, completely incapable of writing. I have a catalog of strong emotions when I think about my girlfriends and what they have given me. We know that a single event cannot only shape your life, but illuminate it. Being told I have pancreatic cancer did both of these for me.
Read More
World Pancreatic Cancer Day is November 16th. Eleven years ago, this would not have been noteworthy me to. I barely knew the role of the pancreas and no one in my world had been affected by the disease. About 1.5 years before my first distinct symptom of pancreatic cancer, on a whim, I decided (and did) participate in a 100 mile bike ride in the mountains of Aspen. It is only eleven years later that would I realize the significance of this crazy adventure.
Read More
I love the outdoors; there is never enough to satisfy me with the abundant beauty that exists everywhere. I love exercising in nature’s magnificence. I love spending time with my friends in the simplest or most challenging of elements, connecting with mind, body and soul, coupled with surprises and unexpected pleasures around every corner. It is all intoxicating!
Read More
Seeing the play Hamilton with the original cast in New York was an extraordinary experience, and one that I repeated this past Sunday in Los Angeles. However, this time, the lyrics in the song “It's Quiet Uptown” took on another meaning for me.
Read More
I was at a stage in my life where I had to be fearlessly and relentlessly true to myself. I barely knew what the pancreas did when I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2006. I was overcome with shock, fear and so many unanswered questions...what do I do next? These emotions consumed every part of my being. Overwhelmed and terrified does not begin to describe what I was feeling.
Read More
It is Friday, July 21st, day one of my recovery from two abdominal surgeries on July 11th and the Whipple surgery on July 14th. I thought I would be confined to a bed, as movement of any kind was a monumental effort. I experienced a lack of appetite for the first time in my life, sleep eluded me and boredom was this ominous cloud that hung over me. I was restless, feeling drab, insufferably exhausted and in unbearable pain. How could just walking to the next room take everything out of me?
Read More