OUR WARRIORS
Will To Live. Courage To Fight.
Carrying the torch of awareness.
These Warriors are courageous beacons of hope.
Providing missing links to medical research discovery.
Have stories that shed light and instill gallantry to win the fight.
When the ultimate cure arrives, it is they that will have lit the path.
Diagnosed: 1994 at Age 44
Survivor: Still In Remission
Written By Julia Brabant
October 2019
Are You Newly Diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer?
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Kay Kays Speaking About Pancreatic Cancer SOS
Pancreatic Cancer SOS: An Online Group for Patients, Survivors, and Caregivers.
The World’s Longest Survivor of Pancreatic Cancer. In comparison with the four other forms of cancer that claim the most lives, pancreatic cancer is the least-funded and toughest to detect, but this wasn’t something Kay Kays planned to sit back and accept.
Now, 29 years later, she may not have a pancreas, spleen, gall bladder or a full lung, but she has something arguably just as invaluable: hope. She’s also become an ardent patient advocate, helping patients come to terms with their diagnoses and treatments while touting the work of Dr. Von Hoff.
One of the longest-living pancreatic cancer survivors out there.
Kay first began battling the deadly disease back in 1994, after suffering severe back pains. Initially, she was thrilled to find out she wasn’t dealing with gallstones, but her joy was short-lived, and she soon learned, thanks to the help of some diligent interns, that what she had was pancreatic cancer.
Likening the diagnosis to “getting hit by a freight train,” she had little time to let the news sink in before finding out she was a candidate for the Whipple procedure, which involved, as she put it, an “extensive re-plumbing of the digestive system.”
Soon after having the head of her pancreas removed, she learned that she not only had pancreatic cancer, but that she had cyst mucinous adenocarcinoma, a rare, slow-growing form of the disease for which there was no form of treatment available.
Without chemotherapy or radiation as viable options, Kay’s doctors told her that, should her cancer return, she would likely succumb to the disease within four to six months.
Five full years passed before Kay found out that cancer had, in fact, returned to what remained of her pancreas, at which point she had both her pancreas and spleen removed. She felt hope for the first time in a long time, but that hope was short-lived, and she soon learned that the cancer had metastasized to her lymph nodes.
At this point, doctors deemed her inoperable, but after reading an article in a newspaper about pancreatic cancer researcher Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, she made an appointment to meet with him and ultimately ended up signing on as one of his first targeted therapy patients.
Three years later, her cancer reemerged in her lung, and she ended up having a portion
of it, too, removed. Now, 25 years later, she may not have a pancreas, spleen, gall bladder
or a full lung, but she has something arguably just as invaluable: hope. She’s also become an ardent patient advocate, helping patients come to terms with their diagnoses and treatments while touting the work of Dr. Von Hoff.
“The man is a bulldog,” she said, noting that he’s known for pulling out chairs for his patients and urging them to call him “Dan.” “He’s not only a fantastic researcher, clinician and mentor… he’s a fantastic patient advocate. He’s more patient-oriented than any doctor I’ve ever met.”
“I’ve survived a very long time after first being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
It is important that my story is being told because people need to know that a diagnosis of the worst of cancers does not mean an automatic death sentence. Patients are living longer, and longer as medical advancements are occurring at a more rapid pace.
Sustaining hope and courage is so important.”
– Kay Kays
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As a 29 Year Survivor: One of The World’s Longest Pancreatic Cancer Survivor.
READ KAY KAYS PATIENT STORY https://seenamagowitzfoundation.org/s…
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Kay Kays: 29-Year Pancreatic Cancer Survivor Receives “Survivor Spirit Award”.
KAY KAYS: A 26-YEAR… – Seena Magowitz Pancreatic Cancer Foundation | Facebook
Kay Kay’s – longest survivor 29 years. – Search (bing.com)
EXPLORE FURTHER
Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer Life Expectancy – HRF
healthresearchfunding.org
How Long Do You Have to Live with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer?
emedicinehealth.com
I Had Pancreatic Cancer. Here’s How I Survived It – NDTV
ndtv.com
Pancreatic Cancer Survival Rate Reaches 10% for First Time …
pancan.org
Pancreatic Cancer Life Expectancy | New Health Advisor
newhealthadvisor.org
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In comparison: with the four other forms of cancer that claim the most lives,
pancreatic cancer is the least-funded and toughest to detect, but this wasn’t
something Kay Kays planned to sit back and accept.
EXTRA ~ EXTRA
Elise Roth Tedeschi – Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer Survivor – Smyrna, Georgia,
Just outside of Atlanta. She is also a motivational speaker and the Co-Chairperson of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – Atlanta Affiliate. Elise Tedeschi shares her journey in detail, from originally being misdiagnosed, to pursuing second and third medical opinions to finally becoming properly diagnosed with a positive approach to her cancer treatment.
Conn Jackson Dr. Robert Martin & Elise Tedeschi-Stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer – YouTube
Pancreatic Cancer Survivor, Elise Tedeschi – YouTube
Dr Robert Martin Louisville Kentucky – Search (bing.com)
Dr Robert Martin Nano Knife Procedure – Bing video
Robert Martin II, MD, PhD | uoflhealth.org
401 E Chestnut St Unit 710, Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 583-8303 Bing Videos