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Presque Isle, Michigan
Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; February, 2003
What went through your mind when you were first diagnosed?
I just don’t get sick, so I was really bothered at the
end of 2002 when I developed some flu-like symptoms after
a holiday party. Right after New Year’s 2003. My eyes
looked yellow, and I began to itch. I wasn’t thinking
cancer. I thought it was gallstones, but an ultrasound confirmed
a mass at the head of my pancreas. I wasn’t even sure
where my pancreas was, and suddenly I had to worry about a
tumor growing on it.
Presque Isle is a long way from Ann Arbor.How’d
you decide to be treated at U-M?
I had great doctors on my team, both locally at Alpena General
Hospital and at U-M. First, a specialist from nearby Traverse
City was brought in to perform a biopsy. He confirmed pancreatic
cancer, but more sophisticated equipment was needed to do
more. Thanks to my doctors’ connection with U-M, I transferred
there for follow-up. Because of the size and location of the
tumor, they recommended chemotherapy and radiation before
surgery. I returned to Alpena for those treatments, then came
back to U-M to undergo what’s called a Whipple procedure
– an intense surgery to remove part of the pancreas,
part of the small intestine, part of the stomach, and the
gall bladder. It lasted over eight hours, and I stayed in
the hospital for eleven days.
What an experience for a guy who doesn’t get
sick! What helped you during that time?
Until my cancer I’d never spent a day in the hospital,
so it was tough for me, but it was probably tougher for my
wife.We were grateful for the services of the Med Inn, the
hotel right in the hospital that my wife called “home”
during my stay. Also,my wife was able to access the internet
in the Cancer Center every day to send messages and updates
home and receive encouragement in return.
How are you doing now?
My surgery was a big success. I’m happy to say I’ve
remained cancer free and feeling well ever since. I enjoy
most of the foods I did before my cancer – except for
salads and “all-you-can-eat” buffets! I really
haven’t slowed down much, either. I volunteer with my
church and in our community, including volunteering to supervise
the management of our area’s three historic lighthouses,
and I still manage to chop enough wood to keep our house warm.
I believe good exercise is healing. Like I tell people: I’m
back to about 85 percent, which is good considering there’s
only 75 percent of me left!”
What advice would you give someone who’s just
been diagnosed?<
I believe your mindset is critical to your success. Early
on I decided I wasn’t going to be afraid of dying, but
that I wasn’t going to die today, either. I committed
to doing whatever it took to get the best information and
the best care available. That’s what I’d tell
others facing cancer– use your energies to fight instead
of to become emotional. And trust in God; He never gives you
more than you can endure.As it says in the Book of Jeremiah,“For
I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,“plans
to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and
a future.”
How would you define a ‘survivor?
I consider anyone who can live a normal life after cancer
a survivor. And I’m living a very normal life.
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