Anyone been touched by pancreatic cancer?

[thingswillneverbethesameagain]

I never even knew you could get cancer of the pancreas or what the organ did apart from supply insulin. My husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 inoperable pc last March, he died in October, 7 months after diagnosis.

Pancreatic cancer is the 5th leading cause of UK cancer death with the [b]worst survival rate of all cancers[/b] yet it receives only c1% of research spend, survival rates have not changed in 40 years! We are desperately trying to raise awareness of this relentless disease and there is an online petition to try and ensure the government discusses and increases research spend.

If anyone would please sign the petition and share it wherever you can I'd be very grateful. It closes on 8 April so only a few days left. There are currently 76,911 signatures at last look. Its a big ask but I think we can do it :fingers crossed:

epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/48389

Sorry - lost a 'loved' one...

My step dad died of pancreatic cancer in 2002. He only lived for 9wks after diagnosis

Mmm I lost my Dad to this bastard disease. 6 weeks from diagnosis to his death. This was 23 years ago and sadly the survival rates have hardly increased since

Sending to all of you who have lost someone to the illness.

My dad had his first chemo session yesterday, he has pancreatic cancer and it has spread to his liver and lung.

I have singed and shared on Facebook. Thank you for making me aware of the petition. I am so sorry for your loss.

My grandfather died of pancreatic cancer when he was 52, and before I was born. It devastated the family with it's suddenness and at such a young age.... and left a great deal of sadness/poverty behind.

again, many thanks to all.

Like a lot of you I was totally unaware of speed of this disease, the devastation it leaves. All we hear are the success stories, which of course is wonderful but unless you are touched by something like this you tend to think ' oh great we're beating cancer'. We're beating SOME cancers but not all and of course you don't hear that this has the worst survival rates of any cancer, that's just too gloomy. You'd think they'd be ploughing loads of cash into research but no, its bottom of the pile.

I know of people on the pcuk forum who have resorted to going to Heidelberg in Germany for surgery when they have been told they are inoperable in the UK. Some have had successes, if only for a short time, others not. There is nanoknife - www.theprincessgracehospital.com/hospital-services/services/nanoknife/ - which is currently only available privately at the Princess Grace Hospital in London. Patients are fighting not only pc but for the chance for innovative procedures because there is no data so prove its efficacy. Don't they realise when you have a terminal illness you'll try anything, put yourself forward for trials - anything that may give you more time or most of all HOPE. Its a shocking state of affairs.

Thanks again for signing and sharing.

I've signed and shared on FB.

Signed. My lovely best friend lost her mum to pancreatic cancer 25 years ago.

Signed and shared on Facebook too. My granny died four years ago of this horrible disease.

My MIL was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about 2.5 years ago. She had surgery, and they thought they had caught it early enough. But they found spots on her lungs, during a follow up scan a year or so later - she had a 4 month round of chemo, and the spots didn't go away, but shrunk a bit, so she took a chemo break, and started a new chemo recently - it made her really, really ill, and her tumour markers tripled after the first round, so they have said there's nothing more they can do.

She is hoping to live for years more, her oncologist seems a lot less optimistic. I don't know if we will have her with us this time next year. She is such a special person - I am so blessed to have her as my MIL - and we are all so devastated.

Signed
Knew a young lad (27) who was diagnosed with this and died within 12 months of diagnosis - hideously unforgiving disease.

thanks all. My heart goes out to all of you have lost a loved one to pc or have a loved one currently receiving treatment for pc. I do know what its like.

KBO xxx

Signed lost my uncle to pancreatic cancer 3 years ago

i'm so sorry, it's an awful, awful disease. I lost my Mum to pancreatic cancer almost 7 years ago. She was 52 and died 2 weeks after she was diagnosed. As someone said, by the time it's found and diagnosed it's because it has spread and is too late. My GM and my great aunt died of it too

My dad died of this just 1 month ago.

The NHS support towards the end was fantastic.

NHS at its best

.

My beautiful sister. My birth mother also died of pancreatic cancer.

Sorry, I'm still getting over my dad's death.

I know this is not the space to say these things, but I'm going ahead as I think it will be good for me.

My dad was a one in a million bloke, incredibly generous, intelligent and witty. I loved him dearly

He had an impact on everyone he met, he could get everyone in a doctor's waiting room to sing Lily Marlene

He could out drink anyone I knew (apart from his friend, John)

He loved his family.

He had a fantastic life, but I really, really miss him

Signed. I lost my wonderful DMIL to this evil bastarding disease five years ago with only 7 weeks between diagnosis and her passing.

FIL died 10yr ago of pancreatic cancer.
Its an awful disease. Sorry for your loss OP.

My FIL was diagnosed in June 2012 and had a Whipple's procedure, then chemo. He seems to be well, working part time and holidaying. But also "getting his affairs in order". He was a GP, and is not optimistic. I signed the petition. The whole family does fundraising for pancreatic cancer.

We lost my lovely Grandpa to pancreatic cancer, almost 15 years ago.

Fucking hideous disease, I'm having a little weep now thinking about how it just wasted him so so quickly.

Signed.

Have known too many people who have lost their battle to this silent killer. Have signed the petition and hope a cure will be found soon

Hello

We're very sorry to hear about your husband, thingswillneverbethesameagain - and to everyone else who has lost people to this disease.

We've moved this to our Petitions and Online Campaigns topic now.

my dad, a vibrant strong fit man died from this 5 years ago. He survived a year from diagnosis. The relentless pain and suffering he endured for that year was heartbreaking.

So sorry for the loss of your husband.