A Personal Story
By John Freeman
There were no symptoms—just a little non-specific middle back pain. I thought I
must have stretched wrong at the gym or twisted my back while on a ladder. The
first doctor’s exam turned up nothing. A month later, when I asked the doctor to
please check again, a slight flinch during an abdominal hands-on exam sent the
medical complex in motion. A quickly-ordered CT scan revealed a mass on my
pancreas with possible involvement of the spleen, large intestines and left kidney.
The surgeon determined the disease to be widespread, malignant and
inoperable. Two masses were found, the spleen was involved and many local
lymph nodes appeared malignant. When I awoke, I was given the diagnosis of
Stage IV metastatic pancreatic cancer.
“There is no cure. You have anywhere from six to 18 months to live,” the
surgeon told me. Simply put, I didn’t like this diagnosis and neither I nor my family
was going to buy it. It was time to find the best medical center with the brightest
doctors who share my drive to beat this disease. Following intense research, we
landed with two of the best centers in the world and Moffitt was one of them. The
positive, can-do attitude from the Moffitt staff is something that cannot be taught.
The culture is pervasive and natural. Everyone is actively engaged in fighting
cancer; everyone knows the mission.
By John Freeman
There were no symptoms—just a little non-specific middle back pain. I thought I
must have stretched wrong at the gym or twisted my back while on a ladder. The
first doctor’s exam turned up nothing. A month later, when I asked the doctor to
please check again, a slight flinch during an abdominal hands-on exam sent the
medical complex in motion. A quickly-ordered CT scan revealed a mass on my
pancreas with possible involvement of the spleen, large intestines and left kidney.
The surgeon determined the disease to be widespread, malignant and
inoperable. Two masses were found, the spleen was involved and many local
lymph nodes appeared malignant. When I awoke, I was given the diagnosis of
Stage IV metastatic pancreatic cancer.
“There is no cure. You have anywhere from six to 18 months to live,” the
surgeon told me. Simply put, I didn’t like this diagnosis and neither I nor my family
was going to buy it. It was time to find the best medical center with the brightest
doctors who share my drive to beat this disease. Following intense research, we
landed with two of the best centers in the world and Moffitt was one of them. The
positive, can-do attitude from the Moffitt staff is something that cannot be taught.
The culture is pervasive and natural. Everyone is actively engaged in fighting
cancer; everyone knows the mission.
With this level of human engagement and real caring, there is no way that we cannot be successful. More
than three years later, my family is looking forward to the day when my pancreatic cancer is just a footnote in an
otherwise full, productive life.
John Freeman shared his story live at this year’s Magnolia Ball. This version is an excerpt from the Spring
2007 issue of Legacy.
than three years later, my family is looking forward to the day when my pancreatic cancer is just a footnote in an
otherwise full, productive life.
John Freeman shared his story live at this year’s Magnolia Ball. This version is an excerpt from the Spring
2007 issue of Legacy.