Pancreatic cancer survivor grateful for MD Anderson

I’ve tried being normal my whole life. It just wouldn’t stick. Even my cells want to be different. When I had a double mastectomy in 2013 to treat breast cancer in my left breast, the pathology report showed that some of the cells in my “healthy” breast were already dysplastic, or abnormal. The same goes for any mole I’ve ever had removed.    

“Weird” just seems to be my thing. So, I guess it’s no surprise that when I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April 2025, that situation turned out to be unconventional, too. 

Fortunately, MD Anderson deals with the unusual every day — so it didn’t seem weird there at all.    

My sole pancreatic cancer symptom    

My first — and only — sign of trouble appeared in June 2024. I developed an awful pain in my abdomen and went to an emergency room near my home in San Antonio. I thought it might be appendicitis, even though the pain was on the wrong side. But the attending physician said it was pancreatitis, meaning my pancreas was inflamed. I stayed in the hospital for a few days on IV fluids and pain medication to reduce the inflammation, then went home.  

Once that unpleasant episode was over, I thought everything was fine. I was feeling better and didn’t have any other symptoms. 

But in January, my regular doctor called and said he’d noticed a pancreatic cyst on one of the images. He wanted to keep an eye on it. Additional scans revealed a narrowing of the main pancreatic duct. The doctor didn’t know what was causing it, so he wanted me to have a stent installed to protect its function.   

My pancreatic cancer diagnosis   

A nurse once described the pancreas to me as “an angry little organ that doesn’t like to be messed with.” So, the stent placement was a good reason for the surgeon to investigate things without provoking it too much. He did something called a brush biopsy during the procedure, in which he gathered cells for analysis using a gentle swab.  

The stent placement went fine. Unfortunately, the biopsy showed I had pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, or PDAC. It’s one of the most common and aggressive types of pancreatic cancer.    

Why I went to MD Anderson 

Most people with early-stage pancreatic cancer don’t show any symptoms at all. So, my situation was pretty unusual in that way. But I knew immediately that I wanted to be treated at MD Anderson. I created a MyChart account the same day I was diagnosed.

Why? Because one of my relatives went to MD Anderson for breast cancer treatment years ago and was really pleased with the result. They were far from home during that terrible Texas ice storm in early 2021, but they felt totally safe at MD Anderson. After hearing about the care my relative received there, I wanted that type of care for myself.

There’s just something different about MD Anderson. It truly is an environment of excellence. I know I’m not their only patient, but whenever I have a question, they make me feel like I am. And, everyone there is super proactive and explains things really well. There’s not a single moment when that hasn’t been the case.  

That cohesiveness of care made an especially big impression on me because one of my children has cystic fibrosis. He’s 40 now. But nobody really expected him to live past his early teens. So, whenever I’ve sought help for him as an adult, there have been very few resources available — and very little consistency in the guidance I’ve received. I hate how that has negatively affected his health. 

MD Anderson has been just the opposite. There’s a level of competency there that’s different from anyplace else. Everyone works as a team. You can tell by the way they interact that they really respect one another. It’s a totally unique experience. 

My pancreatic cancer treatment 

At MD Anderson, I met with Dr. Matthew Katz, a surgical oncologist who specializes in gastrointestinal cancers, including pancreatic cancer. He was super comforting. I felt so heard by him as we were discussing possible treatment options.  

Because of the cancer’s positioning, Dr. Katz said he wanted to remove the “tail” of my pancreas along with my spleen. The “head” of the pancreas, which is the part usually removed during a Whipple procedure, would be left alone. He also wanted to discuss my case with some of his colleagues, to see if they recommended chemotherapy or radiation therapy afterward . 

I agreed with Dr. Katz’s plan. I wanted the cancer out as soon as possible. He performed the surgery on May 30, 2025. He also removed about 30 nearby lymph nodes. Fortunately, the cancer was caught so early that Dr. Katz and his colleagues didn’t recommend any additional therapies. I understand that is considered very unusual, too. But I was glad. 

My only treatment side effect

I stayed in the hospital for four or five days after the surgery, then at the Rotary House next door to MD Anderson for two weeks after that. 

The only problem I ever had was with something called a chyle leak. Chyle is a milky fluid your small intestines produce to aid digestion. Any time I ate too much fat right after the surgery, the fluid in my drains would turn from clear to white. So, I had to change my diet for a few weeks until my body healed a bit.  

My life after pancreatic cancer treatment 

It took about three months for me to really start feeling like myself again. But I am doing great now. I don’t have any side effects, and I don’t take any medication. I am so thankful. 

Everything I found on the internet about my diagnosis  was very negative. So, at the beginning, I thought I’d be gone in 4-6 months. But here I still am, more than nine months later, and today, I show no evidence of disease. 

Personally, I believe that I’m cured. But Dr. Katz would only use that word tentatively — and in very hushed tones — at my first check-up with him after the surgery. So, I guess time will tell. 

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