Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
The news may sound bad for Swayze but Mom is living proof there is hope
News out of Hollywood this week has hit celebrities and their fans hard.
It was confirmed late in the week by his publicist that America's favorite dirty dancer, Patrick Swayze, was diagnosed in January with pancreatic cancer. In all the TV news items I've seen since, the words that keep jumping out at you are "silent killer" and "deadliest cancer." Words I'm all too familiar with.
Judging from the reaction I've seen, Swayze's epitaph should already be carved in stone. And if you bother to rely solely on statistics, that might very well be true.
Patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer typically have a very poor prognosis - partly because the cancer usually causes no symptoms early on, leading to metastatic disease at time of diagnosis. Median survival from diagnosis is around three to six months and the five-year survival is much less than 5 percent. With 37,170 cases diagnosed in the United States in 2007 - and 33,700 deaths - pancreatic cancer has the highest fatality rate of all cancers.
Want more bad news?
Pancreatic cancer is the No. 4 cancer killer in the United States among both men and women. The 99 percent mortality rate is the highest of any cancer. There are no effective early detection methods, minimal treatment options are available and though they've made great strides in the last decade, when compared to other cancers, too little research is under way because of limited research funding.
Sobering information to say the least. But as I learned long ago in a graduate school journalism class on research methods - statistics lie.
And I have living proof. As many of you already know, I call her Mom. Not "called" as in the past tense. "Call" as in the present tense.
After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the late spring of 1999 and spending the better part of that year hospitalized first at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas and later, thankfully, at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Mom will just two months from now celebrate her ninth Mother's Day since given the news that she had six to nine months to live.
When all the statistics said otherwise, Mom survived the silent killer. No, that's not giving her the proper credit. She kicked that monster's butt!
Because she chose to fight. Because her family believed it was possible. Because the medical professionals at M.D. Anderson were so dedicated to their work. Because so many people prayed. And because one powerful being listened.
Because of all these things my mom was able to do what she does best Thursday when an arctic blast seemed destined to send us all back to the Ice Age - as she's done so many times before, she played the role of protector and made those four phone calls she makes every time there's bad weather - to me (her baby) and to my sister and two brothers. Never mind that her baby is 43 years old and her oldest is 55, I knew the phone call was coming. And I know her other three kids did too. I could count on that phone call - a security blanket if you will - because as I said before, statistics lie.
It was confirmed late in the week by his publicist that America's favorite dirty dancer, Patrick Swayze, was diagnosed in January with pancreatic cancer. In all the TV news items I've seen since, the words that keep jumping out at you are "silent killer" and "deadliest cancer." Words I'm all too familiar with.
Judging from the reaction I've seen, Swayze's epitaph should already be carved in stone. And if you bother to rely solely on statistics, that might very well be true.
Patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer typically have a very poor prognosis - partly because the cancer usually causes no symptoms early on, leading to metastatic disease at time of diagnosis. Median survival from diagnosis is around three to six months and the five-year survival is much less than 5 percent. With 37,170 cases diagnosed in the United States in 2007 - and 33,700 deaths - pancreatic cancer has the highest fatality rate of all cancers.
Want more bad news?
Pancreatic cancer is the No. 4 cancer killer in the United States among both men and women. The 99 percent mortality rate is the highest of any cancer. There are no effective early detection methods, minimal treatment options are available and though they've made great strides in the last decade, when compared to other cancers, too little research is under way because of limited research funding.
Sobering information to say the least. But as I learned long ago in a graduate school journalism class on research methods - statistics lie.
And I have living proof. As many of you already know, I call her Mom. Not "called" as in the past tense. "Call" as in the present tense.
After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the late spring of 1999 and spending the better part of that year hospitalized first at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas and later, thankfully, at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Mom will just two months from now celebrate her ninth Mother's Day since given the news that she had six to nine months to live.
When all the statistics said otherwise, Mom survived the silent killer. No, that's not giving her the proper credit. She kicked that monster's butt!
Because she chose to fight. Because her family believed it was possible. Because the medical professionals at M.D. Anderson were so dedicated to their work. Because so many people prayed. And because one powerful being listened.
Because of all these things my mom was able to do what she does best Thursday when an arctic blast seemed destined to send us all back to the Ice Age - as she's done so many times before, she played the role of protector and made those four phone calls she makes every time there's bad weather - to me (her baby) and to my sister and two brothers. Never mind that her baby is 43 years old and her oldest is 55, I knew the phone call was coming. And I know her other three kids did too. I could count on that phone call - a security blanket if you will - because as I said before, statistics lie.
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of terrelltribune.com.
MiMi wrote on Mar 20, 2008 9:43 AM:
" Thank you SO much for this article. I also have a mom battling cancer as well and the statistics provided can be scarier than the battle. I agree that positive thinking, praying and fighting can prove any statistic wrong! I too get those phone calls and want to continue for MANY years to come. To the author and the other feedback writer...."Here's to OUR Moms". We love you and need you around for a long, long time!!!! "
larscar wrote on Apr 7, 2008 12:10 PM:
" You are right. My Mother was 49 years old when she was told she had colon cancer. That was in 1969 before the wonderful advances of today. She passed away in 2006 at the age of 86 years 11 months 32 weeks of Alzthimers. We still pray and God still hears and answers. "
WPMomma wrote on Mar 11, 2008 12:12 PM: