5-year-old Toby is known as after Meredith Brunelle’s late mom. When Meredith thinks about her niece Toby, she is reminded of her mother’s power. She was a firecracker, lively till pancreatic most cancers intervened. She died in 2003, at 57 years outdated.
Meredith’s maternal grandfather and great-grandmother additionally died of most cancers across the identical age as her mom did. Her grandfather was mentioned to have had abdomen most cancers, however Meredith wonders if it was really his pancreas.
“I had a sense pancreatic most cancers was going to return for me,” Meredith mentioned. “So, I wished to be on high of it. I didn’t really feel comfy with the thought of somebody not maintaining a tally of my pancreas.”
It’s why Meredith grew to become an everyday donor to PanCAN 20 years in the past – to assist guarantee future sufferers might need a greater final result than her mother did. It’s additionally why she is together with a present to PanCAN in her will.
And it’s why she had genetic testing and took common well being screenings severely.
In 2019, a health care provider discovered a small cyst on her pancreas whereas treating her for an unrelated situation. The physician was not alarmed, however Meredith instructed him about her household historical past and, not eager to take any probabilities, enrolled in a pancreatic most cancers screening program led by surgeon and researcher Diane Simeone, MD, a member of PanCAN’s Scientific and Medical Advisory Board.
Within the spring of 2020, Meredith was scheduled for a follow-up MRI as a part of that screening program. This time, imaging revealed a tumor in the midst of her pancreas.
It was stage I pancreatic most cancers.
Once more, Meredith acted rapidly.
“I went out with weapons blazing,” she mentioned.
She had a distal pancreatectomy, which eliminated half her pancreas, and a splenectomy, which eliminated her spleen. Six months of aggressive chemotherapy adopted. Her final remedy was over two years in the past, and scans have come again clear ever since.
“My physician is assured we bought it at simply the best time and has mentioned I’ll dwell to be 100,” Meredith mentioned.
Meredith is a robust supporter of self-advocacy and encourages sufferers she meets by her volunteerism with the PanCAN New York Metropolis Affiliate to advocate for themselves at each step after analysis.
She is a month-to-month donor and member of PanCAN’s Circle of Hope, a member of Companions in Progress (recognizing supporters who give $1,000 or extra yearly) and a member of PanCAN’s Micki Love Society, our loyal donors who’ve included a present to PanCAN of their will.
“I need to assist the great that PanCAN does for folks as they undergo their journey,” Meredith mentioned, including that her household used PanCAN Affected person Companies when her mom was identified and that years later, throughout her personal remedy, Meredith used PanCAN’s free details about weight loss program and vitamin and managing unintended effects.
“It’s an attention-grabbing perspective shift, shifting from caregiver to affected person,” she mentioned. “I’m grateful that I knew precisely the place to get assist when the illness affected me, and because of PanCAN, I felt educated about it. PanCAN has been on the forefront, from funding analysis and new discoveries to being there for sufferers and caregivers. I’m proud to assist the group.”
She urges others to know the chance elements and their household historical past, focus on genetic testing with their physician, and to remain on high of healthcare screenings.
“You’re the just one who’s capable of inform your physician that you’ve got a household historical past,” she mentioned.
With each donation to PanCAN, Meredith remembers her mother and the tales she’s heard about her grandfather and great-grandmother. She additionally thinks about younger Toby.
She figures that her cash might sooner or later straight assist Toby – in addition to result in a brighter future for all folks identified with pancreatic most cancers.
“I do know that my mother was with me throughout my journey,” she mentioned. “I strongly imagine there’s a particular place in heaven for my mother…and for all of the pancreatic most cancers sufferers we’ve misplaced.
I’m giving again for them, for my niece, and for the long run.”