I hear you about wondering if there had been a diagnosis sooner, even a few months sooner, you might be in an entirely different situation now. I was damn lucky. The small, cancerous tumor just happened to be positioned so it put pressure on the bile duct which led to symptoms (change in the color of my urine, stools and skin) that led to the discovery of the tumor. Had it not been for that, and given the nature of this cancer, I might be in an entirely different situation today or, perhaps, dead. It is, in some ways, the luck of the draw. I know that in my bones. But, as I said, I don’t feel I’m out of the woods yet.

I’m also grateful that Mayo Clinic is in my network and is only a 90 minute drive from my house. I got my treatments and am followed by an oncologist here, in Minneapolis, and had the surgery and am followed by an oncology team at Mayo.

I wish you the best. May you be well in health and spirit.