Thank your for educating yourself about pancreatic cancer…

^ Found this pic of us today from last September and thought I’d share it 🙂

Again, I want to thank all of you. I want to thank those of you that comment, those that send me e-mails or even have sent me 1 e-mail over the coarse of this 3 1/2 month blog and thank each of you that just read what I write because you care and those that say an extra pray for me.  I thank you! I know I have thanked you before but I could never thank you enough.  Why am I thanking you again?  No I am not looking for a huge increase in emails or responses it’s because I am more grateful that you may ever realize.

I appreciate those that have cared to learn more about pancreatic cancer and to those that want to get the awareness out because of what I have told you about pancreatic cancer and the hard honest facts.  THE TRUTH IS – If I can get pancreatic cancer SO CAN YOU!  Scary huh?  (The young healthy girl, ate well, avid runner, no family history, non soda drinker, no teeth problems – something Dr Oz said, never overweight, non smoker, occasional drinker…. girl)    There is NO early detetion.  There is no “lumps” you can feel for.  The fact is, if we don’t work together to get awareness out to get the research needed for this cancer to advance in survival rates by treatment then you may be diagnosed and you may not be lucky enough to live a year with it as I have.  A year at stage 4.  You could die from this cancer and then you will be upset that this cancer is so darn behind any other major cancer.  You could be diagnosed tomorrow or in a few years and you will want answers, you will want to know how this happened and why there hasn’t been any further advancement in pancreatic cancer in a half a century,  Sure it is slowly getting more awareness and slowly making progress but it’s got ways to come so even if you are reading this and have no connection to the cancer club, you know – the most unpopular club you could possibly belong in, the fact that you read what I wrote and know a little something about pancreatic cancer and can share with others, I thank you.

I hear people all the time talk about how they cannot believe their parent was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  These people are generally in their 20s.. 30s.. 40s.. speaking of their parents and I’m like hello?  You are speaking to me!  They are going through what I am but at a much older age.  They could be you!  It is sad when anyone is diagnosed with a life threatening disease but I can’t speak about those that I don’t know of. I can’t save the planet but I can get people to know what the purple bands worn on my right arm every day is for.

What does the pancreas do?

The pancreas is an important part of your body that produces important enzymes and hormones to break down food. Your pancreas is supposed to produce the right chemicals at the right time in the right quantities to properly digest food.

Can you live without your pancreas?

Sure you can.  You will become diabetic and live on pills like enzymes etc.  You can live without many organs but there is always a catch, you will have to take pills, have problems with this or that.  I’d rather have all my organs if I can help it and fix them.

I went from a 9-1-1 dispatcher/ tax preparer working on her CPA to a pancreatic cancer advocate.  I would say expert but I am not necessarily an expert.  One may say the doctor is the expert but I sure don’t.  I confuse my doctors on a daily basis so they aren’t experts or have experienced what I am going through first hand.  They can’t say how something will make you feel like say a specific chemo drug unless they have experienced it themselves but they try their best and thats all that matters.

The other day I was running around doing errands in northern VA and had parked next to a car, we both pulled in at the same time, and I saw on the back of her car she had a matching pancreatic cancer purple magnet!  I wanted to say something but thought it’d be weird.  That’d be weird right?  I didn’t.  I wanted to though!  What would I say, “Hey! I saw you have a pancreatic cancer magnet, do you know of someone who has pancreatic cancer?”   I don’t know… it didn’t make me happy.  It did in a way because I’m like ‘Yay! awareness!’  and then again  ‘oh no, another diagnosy’.

I just got home and I feel good good good!  Good workout today, good yoga, and it’s good to be home … at least it’s an hour before midnight…. Amen for DVR! Time for me to watch some American Idol – Yes!! 🙂

xoxo ~Ashley 💜