Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

Today is the first day of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. I did not know about it until my mother was diagnosed with it in 1992 and died 43 days later. She was a fit woman at 72 years of age, who had recently retired. This was a shock to us all.



New research suggests that pancreatic cancer growth rate may allow time for early detection, which was unheard of in 1992.

"It has been well established that a huge hurdle in treating pancreatic cancer patients is the late timing of diagnosis. For the vast majority of patients, diagnosis takes place when surgical resection is no longer an option, and often these patients already have metastatic disease, or tumor cells that have spread elsewhere in the body." (This was true for my mother.)

"By studying the genetic changes and analyzing the growth rate of the cells, Dr. Iacobuzio-Donahue and colleagues were also able to establish, for the first time, a timeline during which the tumor forms and progresses. These processes occur over an extended period of time, suggesting that pancreatic cancer does not immediately grow rapidly or aggressively."

There's hope, totally unexpected from my limited perspective.

Pancreatic Cancer

My mother died of pancreatic cancer only 42 days after diagnosis in 1992. She was only 72 years old.

November is National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.

Pancreatic cancer is the only one of the top ten cancer killers with a five-year survival rate still in the single digits—and the survival rate hasn’t changed in nearly 40 years.

You can change that by helping advance research, support patients and create hope.

Please pray for Chris

As requested on August 9, I again entreat you to pray for my sister-in-law Chris. Although she has endured a harsh regimen of chemo therapy in the past months, Chris has more cancer in her lungs from what was originally breast cancer. (Since August, she also lost 25 pounds, which she did not have to lose.) She lives in Bellingham, WA with CB's brother TH.

Right now Chris and TH are on a short trip to Hawaii. I pray that this is an enjoyable and love-filled time for both of them.

Back home!

We got back to hot Corpus Christi, TX last night. Today it was 99 degrees F. That's quite a shock after the lovely weather in WA State.

We had a wonderful time, which I will relate when I download pictures and have washed all the clothes (and completely unpacked).

Thank you for prayers for our sister-in-law Chris. Please keep them coming. There is good news about Dennis--the surgeon removed ALL the cancer when he cut out half of Dennis' liver.

And now I want to recommend these books that I read on our vacation:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960's when the civil rights movement was gaining momentum in the USA and just before women's lib grew into consciousness. The voices of two black "help" and the Junior League ladies they serve, with one new college graduate wondering where she fits in contrast the attitudes prevalent at that time. This is excellent!

How to Be Good by Nick Hornby

This is a silly, but provocative, book about a female physician in London in a strained marriage with two children. Her husband has a spiritual conversion, and she struggles with his pious giving as she wonders what "being good" is. Is one only "good" in comparison to others? Is it necessary to have those "more" good or "less" good to gauge one's worth?

I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak

Since I loved reading The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak, I got this book for our vacation. I read it after MJ and devoured it. It is very easy reading, but is thought provoking. After a failed bank robbery, Ed becomes the messenger, recieving messages of his next mission via aces. Through acts of kindness to those around him, Ed is being led by the hand through a journey of self discovery and sometimes is helped with the advice of pie eating hit-men. The ending is unexpected.

The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill

I gave this book to my son BJ for his birthday in April, but he never wanted to read it. He brought it along on our vacation trip for me. It is the first book in a series of mysteries about a Laotian doctor who is 72 years old in 1970's Laos, after the Communist takeover. It was interesting about the locale and time period, as well as good character development of the various people involved. I am going to read the four other books in this series.

Prayers needed!

At the end of a my husband's family's barbecue, with 25 people attending, his brother took a few of us aside to tell us that his wife has a recurrence of breast cancer. It has been 12 years since she was first diagnosed and suddenly there is cancer in various organs. It is a shock, as she looks and feels great.

Please, oh, please pray for Chris.

Prayers needed for Dennis

Dennis and Sonoma in Seattle in August 2008

Dennis is married to Terry, who has been one of my best friends since we were in high school together. They have no children but are parents to two beautiful white Samoyed rescue dogs. Terry and Dennis live in Seattle and always are generously hospitable to our family, from way back before CB and I were married (in 1971). They have always provided their home for us to stay every summer, loaned us their cars, even babysat various children and babies. Dennis in particular has always been gracious about taking care of the kids, so Terry and I could go out together for shopping and dining. He always drives us to and from Sea-Tac airport each year, never complaining about the traffic or the weird times.

Like me, Dennis is an only child. Dennis and Terry have taken the place of the siblings I never had. They are uncle and aunt to my children and always remember them on special events. They visited us here in Texas and in NJ. They are AE's Godparents and they came from Seattle to Austin for DC and AA's wedding in 2006.

Now Dennis has been diagnosed with liver cancer. Please pray for him. Hold him in the Light. He is a good man whom we love very much.

Dennis has liver cancer, Hepatocellular carcinoma. He will see a specialist on liver cancer on Friday, thankfully because there was an opening due to a canceled appointment.