The Week That Was

[Rowan]

So after 6 weeks of scans and tests, in a matter of 10 minutes on Tuesday I was told that surgery was not an option and my Pancreatic had spread to lymph nodes and liver. I also have a growth on my kidney, not related to the Pancreas.

I sat there and nodded, 12 month maybe 2 years would be bucking the trend, my lovely wife in tears by my side it was not something we ever expected to be faced with. ( I know this is a normal reaction )

Made the calls to family and friends, which was horrible to hear the pain and tears

Two days later ( Yesterday ) I had my port inserted just round out the week, last night I was at my lowest. Determined to fight but shocked to the core and worried about family.

I will say the amount of love and support from old friends and my employer has been staggering and I struggle with the one being the centre of attention and support. My Wife Lisa and Son Kieran scooped me up and held me close.

Still getting squared away in my head, the desire to embrace every day and beat the odds is strong, just not 100% sure how to start...

[LindaG]

Hi Rowan, how devastating for you and your family 😢. I’m so sorry. I will keep you in my prayers 🙏. Your family and friends support will be essential to you at this time. I can’t imagine how you are feeling. I know when I got my cancer diagnosis it was so terrible but I was given hope that the treatment would work and it did. There is a guy that posts on here and he was given 6 months to live and he is still here a few years later. He calls himself Captain Australia and is walking around Australia raising money for cancer. Just thought if you could find some of his posts it might be helpful to you.   Love and prayers to you 🙏 LindaG

[sch]

Hi Rowan,

I am so sorry to hear about your diagnosis.

It's a bitter pill to swallow when they deliver these diagnosis to you.

My father had pancreatic cancer that had spread to other organs also. He lived another 10 years before the cancer took him, despite being told to expect 12 months.

But just because the doctors tells you 12 months, well, you can try hard to prove them wrong.

I've had 2 major life changing illnesses in my life by the age of 40.

I was told after the first illness (age 28 yo) that I would likely never be able to work again and that I might have to go in to a nursing home.

I was mortified. I was shattered. Was this it? Was this the end of my life as I knew it?

In the hospital ward there was another patient (let's call him M). He was sitting in the sun and just soaking up the sunshine and he looked so happy and satisfied in that moment, even though he was in a wheel chair and was heading off to a nursing home at the age of 40.

As I learnt to walk again (not being able to walk was the least of my problems), I started to jog on a treadmill, and weeks later I started to run.

Even though I'd never been a runner, I really enjoyed it. One foot in front of the other, that was all I had to be able to do, which is lucky, because that was all I could manage at the time.  In time I built my running km's up. 22km's a day, 7 days a week. Running became my center. It became where I could escape to that belonged to me when everything else was over whelming.

When I turned 40 I was diagnosed with bowel cancer. 6 months of chemotherapy and a total colectomy. I was shattered.  I just couldn't believe the diagosis after what I'd been through already.

When things are hard, I think back to M sitting in the sunshine. In the face of so much hardship and uncertainty, he was still able to enjoy himself. And it all started with just sitting in the sunshine and appreciating the small things.

I'm not suggesting that you need to run 20 kms or sit in the sunshine, but I think few of the things that I learnt are.

1) Find the small things in life that you enjoy that you can still do and hold meaning.  Enjoy what you are able to, not what you can't.

2) Find hope. It's such an under rated thing, but it is so so powerful. With hope and medical achievements, you can sometimes achieve truly amazing things. Enjoy what you have but have lofty goals.

3) Do everything in your power to follow up with medical experts on treatments and possible treatments.

4) Try to maintain your fitness as much as you can. This helps in multiple ways, both medically and psychologically.

-s