Updated By Julia Brabant November 2024

Date of Diagnosis: April 2019
Current Status: No Sign of Cancer Since November 2019

Persistence in Seeking a Diagnosis Paid Off for 5-Year Pancreatic Cancer Survivor Connie McCance

Pancreatic cancer symptoms can be vague, delayed and easy to miss, and as a result, many patients don’t know they have it until their cancer has already progressed. Connie McCance’s decision to not ignore even seemingly small symptoms she experienced played a big role in helping doctors identify her cancer – and in giving her options as far as treatment.

Connie, a Wisconsin-based mother of three, had always been active, running up to six miles a day and otherwise following a healthy lifestyle. She’d also had an annual checkup a matter of weeks before she started experiencing mild gastrointestinal distress, and the checkup hadn’t turned up any areas of concern.

That said, when Connie found herself belching for a week straight, she scheduled an appointment with her general practitioner, who thought she had gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. The doctor prescribed Omeprazole, a medication often used to treat the condition, but it didn’t bring Connie any relief.

Because her current doctor was out of town, she scheduled an appointment with a different doctor at the same practice to discuss her ongoing – and worsening – symptoms. The new doctor decided to test her for H. Pylori, a type of bacteria that can cause infections within the stomach and small intestine. Test results were negative, but by then, Connie had begun experiencing other health issues.

“I’d drop my kids at school and then feel so terrible and exhausted I’d climb into bed,” she said. “The next thing I knew, I was waking up and it was time to pick them up.”

Her intuition told her that whatever she was dealing with was more serious than GERD or H. Pylori, so she sought a third medical opinion, booking an appointment at her local urgent care.

The urgent care physician’s opinion concurred with that of the general physician she’d seen earlier.  Days later, Connie contacted her general physician again and requested additional tests, as she still felt she had something more serious, like cancer.  From there, doctors administered an ultrasound and a CT scan, revealing a mass on Connie’s pancreas. They determined Connie’s cancer was likely Stage 2 or Stage 3 and recommended she see Dr. Douglas B. Evans, a surgical oncologist at the nearby Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Dr. Evans and his team conducted a PET scan to try to get a better sense of the tumor’s placement, suspecting it might be too close to an artery to risk removing it. Dr. Evans decided to start Connie on chemotherapy with the hope that doing so would reduce the tumor’s size and potentially make it operable.

Connie began chemo using FOLFIRINOX, but it failed to produce the results they’d hoped to see, prompting a switch to a combination of Gemcitabine and Abraxane. The new chemo regimen worked, and Connie underwent four months of chemotherapy and then another six weeks of a combined chemotherapy/ radiation regimen.

When treatment concluded, Dr. Evans determined it had worked well enough for Connie to have surgery.

On Nov. 4, 2019, she had the Whipple procedure, an intensive, multi-hour surgery used to treat some eligible pancreatic cancer patients. She spent the next 17 days recovering in the hospital before returning home, where she set to work trying to make up for the months of weight loss and nausea that had left her well below her target weight.

“I’m a pancreatic cancer patient – life every day is different,” Connie said, of adjusting to life and the new dietary changes that often come with having a Whipple surgery. “I’d say my body runs at about 75%, 80%.”

Connie began taking several prescription medications and tinctures to help with digestion, including CREON, Lomotil and tincture of opium. With their help, she managed to move much closer to her target weight. She also started looking for possible genetic or lifestyle factors that might have contributed to her cancer risk in the days since her diagnosis but has yet to find any clear links.

Connie had genetic testing to see if she had any gene abnormalities that placed her at an elevated risk for cancer, but geneticists didn’t identify any. She also wasn’t a drinker, a smoker or overweight. While she accepts the fact that she may be one of many pancreatic cancer patients who never identify the cause of their condition, she still encourages other patients to undergo genetic testing. While genetic tests can give patients valuable information to help them make educated decisions with regard to their own care, test results can also give a patient’s family members important knowledge about their own cancer risks.

Connie also urges other people facing pancreatic cancer diagnoses, or any cancer diagnosis, to have someone act as an advocate on their behalf. While cancer advocates wear many hats, the role of the advocate often includes attending medical appointments, taking thorough notes during those appointments, and helping ensure a patient has the knowledge needed to make informed decisions and the opportunity to voice his or her preferences.

“Don’t go alone – take someone with you,” Connie said. “Have that person write everything down, and then reread it when you get home. It sounds really simple, but having an advocate there observing and taking everything down was one of the biggest helps I had along the way.”

She also encourages people with cancer to make a point to become more in-tune with their bodies so that it’s easier to identify any changes that may warrant a visit to the doctor.

“No symptom or feeling is too small,” she said. “All of them are important, no matter how small you think they might be. If you don’t give your health care provider all the pieces, they can’t help and support you.”

Heightened awareness of symptoms also helps people identify seemingly minor changes that might otherwise go unnoticed, ensuring timely attention to potential concerns.

“You know your body better than anyone else,” Connie said. “Seek out a professional that will listen and take action when necessary. My GP didn’t listen right away, and I had to demand tests. My demands saved my life, so do what you have to do to get answers.”

Connie also urges other people with cancer to prioritize themselves when it comes to their care and lifestyles.

“Don’t feel bad if you have to be selfish. When you have cancer, your job is your health,” she said. “Tackle one day and one task at a time, and try not to feel bad or guilty if you have to miss something.”

These are words Connie has continued to live by since her 2019 diagnosis, and while she’s had regular follow-up visits and scans in the five years since, none of them have shown cause for concern. That said, Connie remains vigilant in monitoring all aspects of her health, keeping up with other medical care

“Keep up with OB/GYN and your general doctor visits – you’ve got to get those other medical support arms,” she said. “Don’t forget those pieces, because they are equally important to your health.”

A Look at Life Five Years Later

Because Connie sees other doctors regularly in addition to her oncologist, she was able to identify early signs of osteoporosis after one of them recommended she have a bone scan. While many doctors do not encourage this until their patients reach their 60s, Connie’s doctor, knowing she was a survivor of a Whipple surgery, thought she should start having bone scans earlier. Osteoporosis is common among people who have had pancreatic cancer because their bodies often struggle to absorb essential nutrients, making it harder for them to maintain bone health. She is currently meeting with an endocrinologist to monitor and address the condition.

While, five years out, Connie still spends more time in the doctor’s office than she did prior to her diagnosis, she finds that many other aspects of her life have since improved. She may not be able to run six miles a day like she did before her cancer battle, but she has built up considerable strength in the years since, and she spends much of her leisure time walking, practicing yoga and enjoying other low-impact exercises.

“Five years ago, I could barely walk around the kitchen,” she said.

Connie is also able to eat a wider variety of foods than she could in the immediate aftermath of her Whipple procedure.

“I can enjoy certain foods, healthy foods, that I couldn’t five years ago,” she said. “It’s exciting to have a full serving of fruit or vegetables with a meal again without having negative effects afterward.”

While working out and expanding her diet have helped Connie continue to live a happy, healthy lifestyle, she’s especially grateful to have had a chance to spend more time with her family and watch her children reach a series of important milestones. In the days after her diagnosis, Connie questioned whether she’d ever get to see her children graduate college or marry. Now, five years later, she’s seen one child receive a diploma and has another one planning a wedding.

Connie recognizes how her own self-advocacy and refusal to accept an inaccurate diagnosis contributed to her own cancer success story, and she’s becoming increasingly comfortable sharing it with others facing similar serious medical diagnoses. In addition to sharing her story with the Seena Magowitz Foundation, Connie has begun giving interviews to local TV news stations, offering encouragement and practical advice to people facing their own health battles.

When sharing her insights with other people fighting cancer, she urges them to take time to appreciate the small things.

“Anything you accomplish when you wake up each day is a positive thing because you’re here to do it,” she said. “Appreciate your every day. I want to be here for 30 more years; that would be wonderful.”

With Dr. Evans continuing to monitor her condition and provide care, Connie feels she may just do that.

“I truly believe he saved my life,” she said.

Connie has shown no sign of cancer since November 2019.