Heaven Has to Wait
Heaven Has to Wait
Kindle Edition
$9.99
“This is my story: I survived pancreatic cancer and I am an advocate for comprehensive screening to promote early detection of pancreatic disease. I know that people lead extremely busy lives. They must balance their time between careers, family life and various social activities. In short, they don't have time to get sick. I know because in a sense I was one of those people. However, many of those people did not include in their busy schedules, time to take care of their health. I did and I am here today to share my story. I want to make a difference; I need to make a difference.”
A few months ago, I lay in my bed at home recuperating from major surgery. As I lay there, I recalled the events that led me to that day. I remembered how one evening excruciating pain ripped through my abdomen and lower back. The pain was so intense that I went to the doctor's office the next morning. My doctor said I needed to have my gallbladder checked out and ordered an ultra sound. Mind you, I had recently had a physical and was pronounced healthy. Well I had the ultra sound and the report showed that my gall bladder was full of sludge and gallstones. He scheduled me for a preoperative procedure to remove obstructive gallstones and give me significant pain relief prior to the actual surgery to remove the gallbladder. It was during this process that my doctor discovered that the pathway to my gallbladder was obstructed. A "CT Scan" determined that the obstruction was a tumor in my pancreas.
I was given a gloom and doom prognoses. I was told that I had a less than 50% chance of survival. My only option was Whipple surgery. During the surgery, the entire tumor was removed which was about the size of a golf ball. A little over half of my pancreas and about five feet of my small intestines were removed along with my duodenum, my common bile duct and my gallbladder. How did eating right save my life? I truly believe that because of my life style and eating habits my body was strong enough to endure the surgery and healing process. I was told it took years for the tumor to grow to the size it was. If the tumor had not been found when it was, I surely would have died. I am confident that through proper nutrition and lifestyle my body will heal and all damaged cells will be renewed. I don't know what my life expectancy is or how long I have to live, but I do know that I have been blessed. It has been six years since my surgery and I am doing well.
You see I am telling you this story because I don't want you to experience that you have a pancreatic tumor when it is to late. The actor Patrick Swayze was in stage four before his tumor was discovered. I believe that a "CT Scan" of the pancreas should be a part of our routine physicals every few years. Mammograms and colostomies have reduced the number of people who have breast and colon cancer. I believe with all my heart that God has brought me this far to be a witness to others and save lives. My quest is for my life to make a difference.
