I hadn’t been feeling well. I had zero energy, but I figured I was just doing too much and was exhausted. I thought maybe I had a virus. You have probably pushed yourself way too hard also. 

Long story, short, is that I found myself being sent to a specialist who did a procedure on me a little over a year ago (Jan. 4, 2019) and he told me, “You have pancreatic cancer.” 

I remember hearing my reply, “that was not the news I was hoping to hear.” He agreed with me, as he held my hand to comfort me with tears of love and compassion in his eyes. 

From that moment on, I suddenly found myself walking in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. I had only known one other person who had pancreatic cancer and he died shortly after diagnosis. What I had heard about pancreatic cancer was that it was a killer. 

As we drove home that day, I leaned into my faith and my positivity blossomed. I had plenty of questions like, Would I see my son again?  Would I live to see my next birthday? Yet, I felt held, loved, and supported. 

My gastroenterologist called me later that evening and told me about a surgery which could be performed and that gave me and my family some much-needed hope on that dark day. 

I wasn’t afraid of death, but I wasn’t ready to go either. I was only 58 years old and in seemingly great health prior to this diagnosis. I was walking 10,000 steps a day just a few weeks before my diagnosis. I had lots of things I wanted to do. 

I didn’t want my parents to live through losing another child. I didn’t want to go and leave my sister with the responsibility to care for our aging parents alone. I didn’t want to leave my husband or for my son: our only child, to lose his Mom. 

What I did want was to flourish and to live a long, healthy and happy life. To get to the point, an arduous journey through the Valley of the Shadow of Death was necessary. 

My journey involved chemotherapy and that was rough on my body. The possible surgery, the Whipple Procedure, was an extensive operation and due to the location of the tumor, it was only “borderline” in probability that I could have this life-saving surgery. 

Not only did I have an excellent medical team, I had an amazing network of family, friends and strangers showering me with love, light, and support from around the world. I also had my divine team of help from the other side. I was never alone. 

People prayed for me and my family, my husband cooked food that I could tolerate, and took care of our home, including walking our dog. My parents went with me to every appointment and my Mom was my companion at the lengthy chemo sessions.

My sister would do research, was my press secretary, and made me beautiful organic food and a million other acts of love to help me heal. Friends would send comfort items and cook and deliver us meals, and a friend would send me cards in the mail several times a week to brighten my days. 

Cancer affects more than just the patient, it affects their family, friends and support network also. We are all connected. People want to help. 

I would have a feel-good day or two during a two-week period then it would be time for another chemo session. I would spend lots of my time sleeping and doing simple chores were out of the question. Food was something I forced myself to ingest because nothing, not even water tasted “right.” 

This cycle went on for four months until one day in mid-May my oncologist called with good news that my tumor had shrunk enough for the surgery to take place. Surgery was being scheduled for mid-June. 

The angels helped comfort me and reminded me that cancer would be with me for a season, but her lessons would last a lifetime. 

I began calling my surgery “Operation Hope” because the word surgery was really scary for me. This simple re-frame helped me tremendously. My surgeon recommended we stop chemo which would allow me to regain strength prior to the surgery. 

Operation Hope took place on June 17, 2019. I was in the hospital for 2 weeks. During this time, my husband developed shingles, so I recuperated at my parents’ home while we both got better. 

I had excellent post-surgical results, the tumor was removed in its entirety, I had clear margins and no lymph nodes were affected. I couldn’t have received a better report. Hallelujah. 

At this writing, I am 9 months post-surgery. I feel fantastic. My hair is growing back, my appetite is strong, and my stamina is about back to full steam ahead. I eagerly celebrate the gift of my 60th birthday this week with a heart full of love and gratitude for the gift of my life and that I survived the Valley of the Shadow of Death and am flourishing. I wrote 6 blogs about my journey with pancreatic cancer and you can find them here. I also published Surviving Pancreatic Cancer: An Ultimate Guide for 2020 and (5 tips to thrive) to share my journey and to give people hope.

This article was first published on Brave Healer Productions - Laura Di Franco on April 1, 2020.

Janette Stuart: Best Selling Author, Certified Angel Card Reader, Blogger, Military Mom and Emissary of Joy at Angel Angles with Janette Stuart which will assist you own and embrace your Divine Beauty and live a life of love, joy and peace. Gentleness and Joy are my Superpowers.  www.angel-angles.com