Jeff’s Story

Site created on June 11, 2023

Welcome to my adventure. It's not the adventure I was planning for, or one I even welcome, but it is the adventure I've ended up with nonetheless.

You see, for the past 6 months, I've been planning an extended anniversary vacation with my wife Leslie to go visit my daughter Danielle (the one who donated the kidney,) in Scotland. Beginning May 25th, we were to tour London, cruise the coasts of France and Spain, and do a Castles tour of the Scottish Countryside. It was to be Leslie's first trip away from North America, and the anticipation of it all was very exciting. 6 days before we were to leave, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Now after more than three weeks of procedures, imaging, and a few serious complications, I'm on the path of recovering my strength to begin chemotherapy. I'm in a good place thanks to a huge support network and the excellent care I received at MDAnderson.

So here we are. It's not the adventure I wanted, but it is the adventure I got. Like any adventure, I have little control over what's coming next. What I do control, however, is my optimism, my thankfulness, and my competitive spirit so I'm well equipped and well prepared. Let the adventure begin!

Newest Update

Journal entry by Jeffrey Fuller

After 10.5 months, Leslie and I are back in our home in Las Vegas.    It is great to be back and to have normal homeowner things to do.  We sprung a few leaks in our sprinkler system, have a few cobwebs in corners, have a few bugs in light covers, have some dust on the floor, have some water spots on the windows, need to start up our pool heater, need to have some low-voltage lighting fixed, need to get the weeds under control ... you know, normal people stuff.  We also get to enjoy the weather, see the sunsets, jump in the hot tub, see friends ... more normal people stuff.   

Doctor's appointments are few and far between now.  I get blood taken every month instead of every week .  I see the oncologist monthly.  I'll get back to KC for CT scans quarterly.   So there isn't really a lot to report health-wise except that I feel pretty darn good.  I did get blood drawn and all the same things are slightly out of whack that have been slightly out of whack for the past three months and my cancer marker is down another 2 points.   If you remember my earliest posts, PanCan can be aggressive and the average person doesn't survive this long after diagnosis, primarily because it isn't diagnosed until it is already Stage 4.  So I have to assume that we caught it early enough and that the year of torturous procedures have done what they were designed to do in my case.   My ongoing maintenance drug (Lynparza) will continue to fight the residuals while the doctors will monitor my situation.  

It is all very excitingly boring, and this makes me very happy.

On another note, I got cleared by everyone I needed to get cleared by, so I will be starting back to work next Monday.  This should keep me well occupied and out of trouble and it is really the last step back into pre-diagnosis normalcy. 

So for now, I'm going to take longer breaks from Caring Bridge.  You have all been amazing in your support of me and my family, and we couldn't have made it to Phase IV without that support.  If the doctors find something of concern, I'll be back on here with more updates, but for now, assume that I'm doing as good as many other 61 year olds with their own lists of aches and ailments.  I'm not at 100%, but I'm better than I was  a year ago and am doing better every day. 

Stay strong and stay positive!

Jeff

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