Survivor Story #12-Stage 4 with Mets to Liver and Lungs, chemo only

From the Daytona Beach News Journal.  Read the entire article here:

http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20120826/LIVING/308269989?p=2&tc=pg

Medical Miracle

Flagler man is pancreatic cancer-free after Stage 4 diagnosis

Florida Hospital Flagler's Oncologist Dr. Padmaja Sai has been treating Ronald Sturtevant for pancreatic cancer.

N-J/David Massey

By Lacey McLaughlin

Published: Sunday, August 26, 2012 at 3:44 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, August 26, 2012 at 3:44 p.m.

PALM COAST -- By the time Florida Hospital oncologist Dr. Padmaja Sai diagnoses patients with pancreatic cancer, she is usually faced with the daunting task of telling them there is little she can do.

"We don't use the word cure, and, at that point, we are trying to prolong their life with palliative care," Sai said. "We try our best, but, when it's time to say goodbye, that's the toughest part of the job."

Mammograms and colonoscopies can detect breast and colon cancer in its early stages, but no such screening exists for detecting pancreatic cancer. By the time 85 percent of pancreatic-cancer patients are diagnosed, the disease is in its advanced stages and has spread to vital organs. Pancreatic cancer kills 40,000 people per year, including Apple founder Steve Jobs and actor Patrick Swayze.

It's rare for Sai's patients to live more than than a year.

Ronald Sturtevant's diagnosis was no different. Sturtevant, 62, of Palm Coast was working as mail carrier when he started experiencing unusual pains in his lower back and extreme fatigue. In July 2009, Sai diagnosed Sturtevant with advanced Stage 4 pancreatic cancer that had spread to his liver and lungs.

His biopsy, taken at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Jacksonville, confirmed Sai's diagnosis, and Sturtevant started saying goodbye to his two daughters and wife of 32 years, Bonita.

"We were in absolute shock," Bonita said. "We couldn't believe what were hearing. When we got home, we could barely talk or breathe."

Sturtevant closed the door to his bedroom and said a short prayer:

"God, please make sure my family is taken care of, and, if there is anyway you can make this go away, that would be really great," he prayed.

From that point, Sturtevant put fear out of his mind and accepted the inevitable. He spent meaningful moments with his family, took an early retirement and began making financial arrangements for his loved ones.

"You have to put your life in God's hands, and it takes all the pressure off you," he said. "There is nothing I can personally do to change what is going to happen."

Shortly after his diagnosis, Sturtevant began undergoing chemotherapy treatments to delay the spread of the cancer. But when he walked into Sai's office six months later, she meet him with a hug. A recent test could not detect any cancer in Sturtevant's body.

"It's very unusual," Sai said. "We really don't know why this happened."

More than three years later, Sturtevant remains cancer-free but has decided to continue chemotherapy treatments twice a month.

"We don't have enough data to know what will happen if we stop with chemotherapy treatments," Sai said. "We decided that he has a good quality of life, and we want to keep it that way."

continue reading the article here:

http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20120826/LIVING/308269989?p=2&tc=pg

Survivor Story #11 chemo only

This story comes from the success stories on the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network website.  They are an amazing organization, and they offer assistance in many ways to both patients and caregivers.

SURVIVOR STORY: WAYNE R. PETERSON

09/06/2012

In November of 2010, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which had metastasized to the liver. There were three malignant tumors in the liver and one in the pancreas.

In late October 2010, I discovered a growth on my lower left leg that was, after an ultrasound, determined to be a blood clot. I was on blood-thinners for several years, so this should not have occurred. After further tests and biopsies, it was determined that the clot was caused by the tumors in the liver. We, then, had to determine where the cancer started and we found that the culprit was the pancreas. I was very healthy at the time, so we believe that worked in my favor.

My oncologist informed us that because the cancer had metastasized, we could not do surgery or radiation, only chemotherapy. I was offered, encouraged, to participate in a clinical research trial and agreed to do so. I started with chemo for seven straight weeks in a row and a daily pill.

The treatment was very successful; by the end of 2011 a CT scan showed no tumor on the pancreas and two of the three in the liver gone completely and the third was significantly smaller. However, in early 2012, the treatments started to take a serious toll on my body. During, February, March and April I was in the hospital several times. At the end of April, my primary care doctor recommended to my oncologist that I go off chemo and the research trial. My wife and I had planned to ask to do this anyway. We were looking for quality of life as long as possible. I went into a rehab hospital for eight days to regain strength.

Currently, I am doing fantastic. I go to my cancer clinic every two weeks to check my blood and will have CT scans every twelve weeks or more often, if needed. The latest scan showed no new activity and the one remaining tumor has become even smaller.

Although, the medicine, eventually, took a toll on my body I highly recommend anyone with this condition to become involved in a research project. It may or may not help you, but will help someone down the road.

At this time, my weight has leveled off, I am eating very well, sleeping well, doing many of the things I did before the diagnosis, such as volunteering at church and being very involved in some of my clubs and councils and doing some traveling.

God is good! As soon as I was diagnosed, I dwelt on three ideals to fight this terrible disease --- good medical help, positive thinking and action, and the power of prayer. The order of importance of each of these can change daily, but to me the most, overall, item is prayer. As soon as I was diagnosed, my wife, Barbara, organized a prayer village; everyone was and is invited to join the village.

The support and love of my wife, my son and daughter and their families and all of our friends has been overwhelming. We are now into the twenty-second month of this adventure and continue to be blessed and to remain very positive.

Read the story at Pan Can here:  Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Stories

Or visit the home page at pancan.org