I went back to work full-time after my Whipple as I was looking to have normalcy and a daily routine and never regretted the decision. Metastatic disease was found throughout my liver seven days after the Whipple that included a portal vein resection. Metastatic disease was micrometastatic when I had the initial diagnostic scan…too small to be detected in 2012 as the resolution of CT was not what it is today.

I went to work every day all through chemo never missing a day. During treatment for the metastatic disease, genetic testing was done identifying a BRCA2 mutation and I became the first patient enrolled in the US into the RucaPANC PARP inhibitor trial. I had a complete response to the drug and currently the longest former pancreatic cancer patient in the world on Rubraca (Rucaparib) at 10 years 8 months. Although I have been declared cured by leading pancreatic cancer oncologists in the US, it was left up to me as to whether ai wanted to continue taking the PARPi. I opted to continue as having a (g)BRCA2 mutation increases my risk for male breast, prostate and a new primary pancreatic cancer in the remnant pancreas. Rubraca is well tolerated and has provided an excellent quality of life.

I am now retired from clinical research in cancer, immunology and stem cell research and busier than ever in my volunteer activities as a research patient advocate for pancreatic cancer on a number of national non-profit cancer research organizations, foundations and advocacy organizations attending frequent oncology meetings and having the opportunity to make presentations at them. I am also involved in providing input on the development of clinical trials for pancreatic and other solid tumor cancers of the GI tract.