Thank you to our colleague Margaret Freitag for sharing her very moving story about #pancreaticcancer on this World Pancreatic Cancer Day. #WPCD
? A Story About Pancreatic Cancer by Margaret Freitag We've all read in the news and in the scientific literature that the number of pancreatic cancer cases is increasing even though it's not clear what might be behind that. Among my friends and family, I can count seven people who have been affected by pancreatic cancer - sadly only one survives. Some of them had risk factors like Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, or new onset diabetes. In the case of my friends and family, those risk factors were only recognized in hindsight, and unfortunately all were diagnosed in advanced stages. I know what it's like to survive cancer, albeit not pancreatic. I was diagnosed with a rare cancer with an aggressive histology. I know the angst of waiting for the pathology to come back, for the staging to be confirmed; guessing my chances of making it out to other side. Fortunately, I was diagnosed at an early stage. I powered through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation over the course of nine months. I am grateful to celebrate my five-year survivor anniversary this year. My wishes during pancreatic cancer awareness month are that: ? More patients with pancreatic cancer can have the kind of chance that I had; an earlier diagnosis that allows for an increased chance of survival. ? More patients with risk factors for pancreatic cancer like family history, genetic predisposition and early onset diabetes become aware of these risks and the means for early diagnosis. That’s why I’m grateful to ClearNote Health and the dedicated #pancreaticcancer community in their pursuit of the early diagnosis and successful treatment of pancreatic cancer. #pancreaticcancerday ??