Bill Eblin Story: Pancreatic Cancer Warrior Since Age 35
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- Cancer-Free For Over 21 Years
BILL EBLIN DEFIES ORIGINAL PROGNOSIS
Seeking A Second Opinion Saved His Life
Written By Debra Gelbart
July 23, 2017
Diagnosed: June 1999 At Age 35
Status: No Sign of Active Cancer
A Survivor’s Story: Don’t Ignore Symptoms and Make The Most of Life
Bill Eblin of Peoria, Arizona is adamant about advising people not to ignore any strange medical symptoms for more than a couple of weeks, and to seek a second opinion if symptoms persist after a diagnosis.
He lived with abnormal symptoms for more than two years, and by the end of that period, he had been diagnosed with cancerous tumors in his duodenum (the first section of the small intestine) and his pancreas.
“I had had stomach pain and frequent vomiting for months when I finally went to the doctor,” said the 53-year-old IT specialist originally from Groveport, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. “The doctor wrongly diagnosed me with irritable bowel syndrome. I continued to suffer with pain and vomiting for another year and a half, until I finally was seen at the University of Miami Hospital in June of 1999.”
At that point, he had recently moved to Fort Lauderdale, less than an hour from Miami, for a new job when he underwent surgery to address what was causing his symptoms. Cancerous tumors on his duodenum and the head of his pancreas were successfully removed and he has been cancer-free ever since.
Eblin will appear with other pancreatic cancer survivors at the Seena Magowitz Golf Classic, a fundraising event held every year in Boston to benefit the Seena Magowitz Foundation. Eblin worked for Roger Magowitz as his director of information systems in the early 1990s in Virginia Beach, Va., right after Eblin was discharged from the Navy.
Discovery of Cancer
For years, Eblin has had multiple endocrine neoplasia Type 2, an inherited condition that predisposes him to medullary thyroid cancer; digestive problems caused by disordered nerves in the gastrointestinal tract; and muscle, joint, and spinal problems. Before his cancer diagnosis, doctors had monitored him regularly for any problems arising from the multiple endocrine neoplasia.
Before surgery that day in 1999, Eblin’s doctor had told him he had duodenal tumors, but the doctor wasn’t sure whether they were benign or cancerous and said Eblin needed exploratory surgery to determine that. His doctor, Eblin said, “drew a horseshoe on a manila envelope and said, ‘this is your stomach.’ He drew a line through the middle and said, ‘I’m gonna take all of this out.’ That was fine with me,” Eblin said. “I just wanted the pain to stop.”
He underwent what’s called a “Whipple Procedure,” the most commonly performed surgery to remove tumors in the pancreas.
The surgeon found that the duodenal tumors and the pancreatic tumor just discovered in the surgery were cancerous. When Eblin came out of surgery, the doctor said he was a lucky man because without attention to the tumor on his pancreas especially, Eblin might have died in the next three months. Instead, Eblin spent the next three months in the hospital, recovering.
Giving to Charity A Priority
He’s devoted to supporting cancer charities. He donates part of every paycheck to the Magowitz Foundation. “I’m glad Roger is doing something to recognize his mother’s illness and passing, making such a big statement. I’m proud to know him.” Eblin also contributes regularly to charities that support research into brain and breast cancer.
And he’s enjoying life in the wide-open spaces of a Phoenix suburb. “You can’t take for granted that you got a second chance,” he said. “I’m going to make the most of my life.”
OUR WARRIORS
Will To Live. Courage To Fight.
These Warriors are courageous beacons of hope. Have stories that shed light and instill gallantry to win the fight.
Carrying the torch of awareness. Providing missing links to medical research discovery. When the ultimate cure arrives, it is they that will have lit the path.
- Tom Bennett
- Janet Bor
- Allen Cotton
- Bill Eblin
- Kellie Elledge-Bott
- Jane Fagell
- Michael Francis
- Judy Green
- Craig Hellmers
- Kay Kays
- Joe Levine
- Steve Mielke
- Camille Moses
- Wayne Mullis
- Elizabeth O’Connor
- Dr. Vivian Pearlman
- Mary K. Rabe
- Marilyn Rubin
- Joni Ross Donley
- Mildred “Mickey” Somerman
- Vicki Tunnell
- Stan Vitikas
- Howard Young
- Sophia Hurtado
- Janet McNabb
- Leanne Pierce
- Jack Chase