In June 2013 I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is a very difficult cancer, with a five-year survival rate of only eight percent. The only potential cure for pancreatic cancer is a harsh operation, called a “Whipple,” in which parts of the pancreas and other organs are removed, and the remaining organs are sewn together.
After chemotherapy and radiation I became eligible for the surgery, which was performed in March 2014. The surgery was successful, and all of the visible cancer was removed. But even when it appears that all the cancer has been removed by surgery, pancreatic cancer frequently recurs. The cancer returned In August 2014, and my doctors determined that it had spread elsewhere in my body. I then went on a year of rigorous chemotherapy which made the tumors disappear on scans. In August 2015 I went on a lighter, maintenance chemotherapy. For about fifteen months the cancer was not visible on scans. In November 2016 a small growth was found in my pancreas, and I then began a more rigorous chemotherapy. As of Summer 2017, the chemotherapy has been successful in keeping the cancer in check. In late 2017 my medical condition became more compliced.
In April 2016 I told my story to an event sponsored by the Miami affiliate of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. The video of my talk is online (
https://youtu.be/cVZ3Ls9H2gc). In November 2016 I was interviewed for the Jewbalations podcast (
https://www.spreaker.com/user/backroomstewdios/jewbalations-robert-glazier). You can read about one of my passions here:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/florida-jewish-journal/news/miami-dade/fl-jjdc-fund-0705-20170630-story.html (
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/florida-jewish-journal/news/miami-dade/fl-jjdc-fund-0705-20170630-story.html )
