Personal Narrative: My Father And Pancreatic Cancer

My mother has always had major health issues, going in and out of hospitals all the time, but she wouldn't go down without a fight, and luckily, we still have her here with us. Any mother would want the best for her children, so one day my mom dropped everything in Reynosa and decided to move here, to the United States, in order to give us more opportunities and a real chance to succeed. Therefore, my parents have taught me to be the responsible, strong, and hard working person I am today.

Dealing with the fact that my sister could die was very hard on me and I could hardly believe the truth. Sometimes me and my brother would have to stay and our grandparents house while my parents would stay overnight at the hospital with my sister. My sister was constantly getting checked up at many hospitals to figure out a way to cure her.

I am a lucky yet unlucky man. They call it PanCan, short for Pancreatic Cancer, there are many stages I must say yet there are relatively 20% survival rate and to get to live up to five years? 6% chance. The larger my tumor gets the less likely it’ll be cured. They give me 2 years top, if I am lucky; but I’ve learned to cope with the cancer. You see even people who have 3-5 cm appear to have been cured by surgery, I have hope. On a daily basis I find myself struggling with daily activities, changes in appearances and even anxiety of the future, and on top of all that, I am constantly anxious about treatment and if it will work. Pancreatic Cancer is cruel and ruthless, it will devour one’s

Over the past decade, many of my family members have been in and out of the hospital. My late maternal grandmother frequented Stanford Cancer Center for chemotherapy to treat her stage four pancreatic cancer, which ultimately took her life away in 2008. My maternal grandfather received ablation procedures for his arrhythmia and then later for his pericardial effusion in an international hospital. My aunt was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2010 and underwent rounds after rounds of radiation and chemotherapy at the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center, and finally, my great-aunt was saved in Mills-Peninsula Hospital from a stroke in 2014 that paralyzed the left side of her body. However, what does this all mean?

When I turned 11-years-old my whole childhood began to change my life went from being perfect to everything but perfect. One day I came home to hear the news my father, my best friend; my hero was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. Not knowing the struggle my family was about to take on I just began to cry. I had a million things running through my head what’s going to happen? Will everything be okay? Why him? What is going to happen? With all these things rushing through my head all I could do was cry not knowing this was least worse to come.

The summer of July 2014 my family got devastating news that my grandfather was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Prior diagnose of pancreatic cancer his weight had dropped drastically, couldn’t keep any of his food down, and pigmentation had changed. When he came into the hospital his intestines were wrapped around his kidneys and they found a tumor in his pancreas. By August 2, 2014 my grandfather had lost the battle of pancreatic cancer. His death was slow and painful surrounded by nothing but family and friends. (3)

Pancreatic Cancer is a form of cancer in which malignant cancer cells invade the pancreas, a gland that produces digestive fluid and hormones that regulate blood sugar. There are two types of pancreatic cancer: exocrine and endocrine cancer. The malignant cells can infiltrate either the exocrine pancreatic cells, responsible for digestive fluid, or the endocrine pancreatic cells, responsible for regulatory hormones. If the pancreas’ exocrine cells are affected metabolic functions are slowed or stopped completely. Thus, this results in death. If the endocrine cells of the pancreas are affected hormones such as Insulin are unable to be produced and the bodies organs will shut down. Pancreatic Cancer usually begins in the exocrine cells and moves into the endocrine cells (Movva). Pancreatic cancer occurs when cells are mutated from genetic dispositions or detrimental behavioral habits. These mutated cells metastasize to form a tumor. Pancreatic cancer can afflict anyone, However, it is more common in those of African American descent, those with excessive body weights, and those who partake in risky behavioral habits. Pancreatic cancer is an incredibly lethal disease.

The morning light shone up across Mariah’s face which was like a alarm clock for her but a nice,gentle,quiet alarm clock. Mariah only though it would be a normal morning but she started getting a queasy feeling in her stomach and started to feel very nausea.She tried to push it off as last night's dinner but as she thought about it she knew that she was sick.She quickly ran to the bathroom and everything came up. Mariahs mother Robyn quickly ran to Mariahs bathroom and immediately called Urgent Care but they did not open yet because of how early in the morning it was. The ER was their last option; Mariah very much disliked the ER. Although she disliked the ER they knew they had to go so Mariah was done with using the bathroom they hurried

I experienced illness when my Dad was diagnosed with cancer. The most devastating aspect of this experience was when we had to make a choice as a family on how we were going

I grew up in a household with a single mother until my stepfather came into my life. From the beginning, he was caring and attentive to my small family. I admire and was thankful for this man who came into our lives and became my father. He taught me what it means to be a mature and respectful man. He was all you could wish for in a dad and so much more. That is why the news hit us so hard, he had been diagnosed with Pre B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. From that day on it was an uphill battle for us all, both physically and mentally. I spent every free moment going with him to his check-ups, to his therapies and when he had been hospitalized. After two relapses and a little over a year of battling cancer, my father was left extremely weak

The different treatment options available for cancer vary depending on which cancer has been diagnosed. Pancreatic cancer which affects the pancreas and surrounding lymph nodes and tissue, is the 4th leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States (pancreatic.org) and when compared to the other leading cancers in mortality rates, 94% of pancreatic cancer patients will die within five years of diagnoses and only 7% will survive more than five years. According to the Hirschberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, 74% of patients will die within the first year of diagnoses of pancreatic cancer and the chances of recovering depend on which stage a patient has been diagnosed with (cancer.gov).

Although this experience was a traumatic one, I learned to find inner strength. Eventually, as time passed and I approached high school, my grandmother went through some expensive and painful procedures, because the Lyme disease progressed. It was hard to go see her in pain each and every week, but I had to find strength within so I could continue to be here for my grandma. I remember one day going to go check on her after the operation, but my dad beat me to the room. I could tell by his expression that the procedure did not go as planned . I was with my grandma when the doctors told her they failed to remove the disease. I began to cry, because I thought I would lose my grandma. My grandma said, “I will get through these procedures, so keep your head up and stay strong”. I knew then I must find inner strength, because if she could stay strong during the procedures, I must stay strong to keep her spirits high. She went through all these painful procedures and she still was able to find

In the year off 2015, my grandfather was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. For some of you who do not know the function of your pancreas is to convert everything you eat into fuel for body’s cells and also regulates blood sugar. The chances of fighting this cancer is 20% out of 100%. Some people get lucky and others don’t have much luck, but the only thing you can do is to try to

up and followed my daily routine: brush my teeth, put on my clothes, and went to school. Little did I know, that would be the day that changed everything. I found out that my uncle Danny had been diagnosed with lung cancer. The chemo originally worked and he went into remission. After a few months of remission, the doctors said he would have a few months to live. After he passed away, I couldn't talk to him. I couldn't see him anymore. He was just gone. Cancer ended the life of someone very precious to me and his death sparked the beginning of my desire to battle this disease.

Getting the news was hard but not as hard as seeing her go through that. From an ice cold doctors office to the recovery room I had an unforgettable journey with my aunt. Seeing her at her lowest point to what she is at today is a blessing. Nothing will ever make me forget how strong my aunt was at this time and this is what inspires me and my future.