My story with updates
Thursday 12th Mar
March 27, 2025 I received devastating news. I had gone to the ER as I was jaundice. The doctors thought I had a gall stone in my bile duct. Nope. Imaging showed I had pancreatic cancer. I was 52 years old.
I was fortunate enough to get an appointment with an oncologist at Dana Farber in Boston the next week. I live in a suburb outside of Albany, NY so it was only a 3 hour drive. The following Tuesday I had chemo. I did 12 rounds of Forfirinox and then 28 rounds of radiation. The side effects I experienced were mild. Diarrhea and neuropathy in my left foot from the chemo. My tumor shrunk but was still wrapped around an artery and veins. Surgery was not an option.
I follow many pancreatic cancer support groups on FB. I posted my story and in one of the comments this lovely woman from Ohio said that she had no evidence of disease. I asked to hear her story and we talked on the phone for almost 2 hours. She told me about this wonderful surgeon who was performing the nanoknife surgery in Florida. She gave me all the information and I wrote a comment on their website. Within the hour, Kathryn from Atlas oncology, asked if she could call me on Saturday. We spoke for a few hours letting me know what I needed to do and she told me about the patients who had the nanoknife surgery. For the first time since my diagnosis, I had hope.
I sent her an email with my latest Ct scan report along with my oncologist notes. I scheduled a consultation with Dr Robert Donoway on a Sunday afternoon. He had reviewed my information and determined that I was indeed a candidate for the nanoknife surgery. I was relieved and thrilled. He answered all my questions and gave me valuable information. I was getting a CT scan on Jan. 20th at Dana Farber. He asked that I send him a copy of the CT to his home address.
While at Dana Farber, I asked my oncologist the next steps. She told me I would have a CT scan every 3 months. If the tumor grew or spread, then I would start chemo again. I’m already stage 3, this “wait and see” option was unacceptable to me. I scheduled the nanoknife surgery for February 24th.
I flew to Ft. Lauderdale with my mom and aunt. We arrived on a Saturday. On Monday I had a PET scan and then met with Migdalia and Dr. Donoway in his office. He reviewed the PET scan with us. Thankfully the only thing that lit up was a spot on my pancreas. I was relieved I didn’t have cancer anywhere else. He also explained the nanoknife surgery in detail. My mom and aunt were very impressed and really liked Dr. Donoway. I was not nervous as I knew I was in great hands. Dr Donoway has been doing this surgery for 15 years. I was at peace. I knew I would be okay.
Because of an insurance issue, my surgery was postponed until the next day. The nurses in the hospital were wonderful. My pre op nurse Ben, came to my room after the surgery at the end of his shift to check on me. Who does that? I was able to move on my own without help from the surgical bed to the bed in my private room. I received excellent care and was released the next day. Dr. Donoway told my mom that the surgery was very successful. He got everything, even the lymph nodes.
The next morning I had a follow up with Migdalia and Dr. Donoway. I was feeling okay, just very, very sore. On Monday, I flew back to NY. The rest of the week I just watched tv and took it easy. On average I was walking about 1500-2000 steps a day.
Today, I went back to work. It hasn’t even been 2 weeks since my surgery. The only pain reliever I took was Tylenol. I’m still sore but each day It gets better. I really am amazed at how well I’m doing. This was my first surgery, other than wisdom teeth removal. I have to send my vitals to Dr Donoway 3 times a day. He responds each time and says great, outstanding or very good. He will also give me advice to drink more liquids or make sure I’m drinking protein shakes. We have even spoken on the phone a few times.
Dr Donoway is an amazing surgeon and such a kind person. His bedside manner is wonderful. I have never had a doctor that truly cares and communicates with me on a regular basis. Any question I have, he answers very quickly. I was very fortunate to find him. I’m glad he thinks outside the box and performs this surgery. He gives you hope for a future, which is amazing.
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