Defeating pancreatic cancer – the cancer with the lowest survival rate – takes a woman who is strong and courageous. And Mary Anne* IS that kind of woman.

* Her real name is used with permission.

Wasn’t Always Strong and Courageous

But Mary Anne wasn’t always strong and courageous. For 22 years, she lived with the verbal and emotional abuse her husband spewed at her daily.

Alcohol, cigarettes, and unhealthy eating numbed her emotional pain from his hurtful and threatening words.

“He would drink so much I could see the devil in him. It was never physical abuse, but the verbal abuse hurt just as much. When he would rage, my German shepherds protected me.”

“I can’t blame only him for my excessive drinking. I worked as an event planner and drinking socially with clients was an expected part of the job.”

Stage 1 Pancreatic Cancer

A stretch of twenty-three highly stressful days of work with no off days caused an unexplained pain in her chest and a pain that radiated from her sides to her back. Fearing she was having a heart attack, she drove herself to Urgent Care.

When her symptoms were inconclusive, the doctor recommended Mary Anne see her gastro doctor.

“In March of 2014, I went by myself for a CT scan. When he looked at the results, the surgical oncologist diagnosed me with stage 1 pancreatic cancer.”

Pancreatic cancer is considered the silent disease as the symptoms – back pain, jaundice, weight loss, diabetes, and nausea – often don’t begin until the later stages. 

Bigger Than Me

Her doctor explained how her unhealthy weight, 45 years of smoking cigarettes, and drinking excessively likely caused the pancreatic cancer. He urged her to immediately lose weight and stop smoking and drinking.

“I cried when I heard the diagnosis and how I contributed to the cancer that was attacking my body. I was in a fog when I walked to my car.”

As much as Mary Anne’s relationship with Jesus was part of her life as a young woman, she turned away years ago when she knew her decisions and lifestyle as an adult didn’t follow God’s plan for her life.

“My faith that had been suppressed for so many years came flooding back. I knew I didn’t possess the strength and courage to fight the cancer diagnosis alone.”

When she reached her car, she raised her hands up in the air and prayed: “This is bigger than me, God. I’m giving it to you. I can’t do this without you.” Immediately, she had no desire to drink or smoke. A peace came over her and she was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Strong and Courageous

“I didn’t research pancreatic cancer as I didn’t want to get caught up in all the statistics and overwhelming information. I chose to trust God to direct me to the right doctors and the right treatments.”

Renewing her commitment to her faith helped her to trust the words of Joshua 1:9 (see left). “I read the Bible from cover to cover as I wanted to be strong and courageous.”

She began chemo treatments in April of 2014. Twenty-eight radiation treatments between October and December prepared her for surgery. “Each time I heard a radiation zap, I prayed for God to heal my body in the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit.”

She continued working during treatments until her Whipple surgery in December of 2014. “I took my grandmother’s Bible with me so I could read it while I was recovering after surgery. I was determined to be strong and courageous just like she was. She never questioned God about the passing of three of her children, which made Mary Anne’s mother an only child. She just trusted Him.”

Many Reasons to Praise God

The eight-hour Whipple surgery removed part of her stomach, part of the duodenum, her gall bladder, and the part of the pancreas where the tumor was located. Her digestive system was also reconstructed.

The Whipple procedure is a difficult and demanding operation and can have serious risks. However, this surgery is often lifesaving, particularly for people with pancreatic cancer.

Her recovery went well, and she returned to work. Scans every three months became part of Mary Anne’s routine care. Living disease-free gave Mary Anne many reasons to praise God.

“I could even say I was thankful for the cancer diagnosis as it brought me back to God. Sharing my story with others gives them hope.”

Recurrence of Cancer

Mary Anne lived disease-free until a scan in December of 2017 revealed a lesion on her liver. Chemo and radiation treatments in January of 2018 were started to attack the lesion.

“My oncologist felt I had a recurrence of cancer as my tumor marker was over 1200 when a disease-free marker is less than 30. After several other tests, he decided there was a false positive in the blood work. Instead of cancer, he believed my affected bile ducts and the fluid on my abdomen that were causing me problems were side effects from severe radiation.”

Her doctor continued chemo treatments as a cautionary measure. Not letting this “scare” stop her, Mary Anne enjoyed traveling with friends. “I wanted to embrace life and experience new places,” she shared.

Disease-Free

In August of 2018, Mary Anne moved up her regular three-month scan appointment, because during her Alaskan cruise her feet started swelling. Upon her return, she was diagnosed with cellulitis (swelling), which is a side effect of chemo. Antibiotics were given as treatment.

Finally in October of 2018, her oncologist stopped the chemo treatments as the side effects were causing too many problems, and her scans revealed no cancer cells. She was invited to ring the bell, which signified the end of active treatment and the beginning of living a disease-free life.

“My faith healed me just like the woman in Mark 5:34,” Mary Anne declared during our interview.

A Turning Point

Her nearly five-year journey of fighting pancreatic cancer has taught her much about God. “I’ve learned to embrace each day – no matter if it’s a good day or bad day – because it’s all in God’s plan for my life. Learning I had cancer was a turning point as I knew I needed to return to my faith and lean in close to God. He gave me a peace that could only come from Him. I wouldn’t have made it without Him.”

She also shared life lessons: “Find something you enjoy. For me it was riding horses and traveling. When you’re with friends and family, listen more. Embrace and enjoy those relationships and the memories made.”

Leave a reply (below): “My God is bigger than any cancer statistic,” Mary Anne shared. She is definitely living proof that statistics aren’t always accurate!

As much as statistics are important in tracking trends in health care, how have you found God to be bigger than a statistic?