In November of 2019, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The following month I was operated on. I spent Christmas and New Year’s in the hospital. This was followed by months of chemotherapy and radiation. I have survived five years because my cancer was detected early.

Pancreatic cancer has one of the highest rates of death among all major cancers. It is currently the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States after lung and colon. It is insidious because its symptoms are often vague, but early detection can save one’s life. Early detection has a five-year survival rate of 44% as compared to 3% if detected in its late stage.

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. It is the month to inform individuals about the danger of pancreatic cancer, what its symptoms are and the risk that one may have to develop pancreatic cancer. With this knowledge one can live long and can live well.

Some of the risk factors that one may develop pancreatic cancer are cigarette smoking, having diabetes and being overweight. The latter two did not apply in my case, however, I had taken up cigarette smoking when in the Army. I smoked for approximately eight years. I do not know that this lead to the cancer in my later years, but it is a risk factor.

Symptoms of pancreatic cancer include physical weakness, difficult sleeping, depression, jaundice, a yellowing of eyes and skin, back or belly, pain, nausea, vomiting, unexplained weight loss and poor appetite.

My wife, a nurse, had noticed I had a poor appetite and was losing weight. We saw my primary physician who ran tests and the cancer was discovered. There are imaging and blood based tests that often are able to detect pancreatic cancer in its early stage.

I was fortunate that my cancer was detected in its early stage. This provided more treatment options including surgery. This has given me five years of life for which I am grateful to my wife and the medical staff which have treated me. I currently undergo imaging and blood-related testing every three months to determine whether I remain cancer free.

I am not a doctor, nor do I give medical advice. But, I want readers to understand the importance of detecting pancreatic cancer in its early stage. Share this with family and friends this Thanksgiving season. Perhaps you will save someone’s life. May all my readers have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!