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World Pancreatic Cancer Day...





The following was copied from the PanCan.Org, 2015 World Pancreatic Cancer Day site....I would say the numbers are shocking, but there isn't enough focus on finding a cure for a cancer that has devastated so many lives...how can one be shocked?

"Pancreatic cancer is the fifth biggest cancer killer in the UK and the seventh in the world, yet so many people know nothing about it. But they can be forgiven for that because unfortunately, it barely gets attention.
This cancer is chronically underfunded and has languished in the ‘too-hard-to-deal-with’ category for far too long. This is reflected in the dire survival rates, which haven’t improved for more than 40 years.
At the moment, over 80 per cent of pancreatic cancer ...patients are diagnosed too late. Typically, patients with terminal pancreatic cancer die between four to six months after diagnosis.
We want to increase awareness and understanding about the illness among the public, medical community and government, the resulting investment and interest in the disease will allow more people to be diagnosed in time for surgery – currently the only potential for a cure."
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I admit I too was not very knowledgeable about Pancreatic Cancer.  I knew it had a low survival rate and I knew some of it's more famous victims were Patrick Swayze and Steve Jobs.  I didn't know much more than that.  What I know now is still sketchy, but I am learning, because if there is any way to prevent another person from losing someone they love, I want to be along for that ride.
Below I have attached a picture of the symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer.  My mom had been to the doctor's several times, but I can only assume that because there was no known history of this cancer in her family history, the doctor's did not know what to look for.  As early as January she had tummy problems and I told her to see a doctor, but she said she had and that they told her it was stomach issues, or IBS, or something else along those lines.  We had no idea that this horrible cancer was already growing inside of her.  That was the last birthday weekend we would spend together. 

I am not writing this so you will feel sorry for me, I am writing this to get the word out.  I love and miss my mama, my dad loves and misses his wife and best friend, but by spreading the word, it creates knowledge, it creates a chance at potential early detection and even if it can't be eradicated from one's body just yet, it can give someone time, which is something we really didn't have. 
My mother, Ellen Lucas, was officially diagnosed, ie given a name for her cancer, on May 19, 2014.  She was diagnosed at Stage 4, but had been in the hospital before the discovery of what was truly ailing her for far too long.   Watching her go from vibrant to downhill and sick, was one of the hardest things I have ever witnessed. 
Mama was always out and about. She had 6 wonderful years of retirement where I joked that she had become more of a social butterfly than I was.  Sometimes just hearing her schedule for the week made me tired, but she loved it. She loved roaming and having adventures with her Golden Girls on Fridays, sometimes dad would even tag along.  She loved when we hung out together, but those days are gone now and everyone she knew, especially Dad, myself and those closest to her, are left with an emptiness, because she truly did touch so many lives.  She was the warrior in our group and now she is gone, taken by this horrid cancer on, September 12, 2014, at the age of 66. 

Please, don't get me wrong, Cancer in general is horrible and Pancreatic cancer is not the only one without a cure or route to remission.  There are far too many victims of this disease and we need to turn around the survival rate for each one of these cancers, even the ones with a route to remission, so that people can enjoy each other for much longer. 
Cancer sucks, no matter what its name, so know the symptoms.  Get checked and rechecked if you're not sure and hold tight to hope and faith, because it is that which will eventually see us through to victory in all cancers. 
As I always end my thoughts...We've got this....
Remembering Mama today and every day...

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