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Mike Adams | Story of a Pancreatic Cancer Survivor

The Surgery, and Surgeon, Who Saved Mike Adams’ Life

Contributing Writer
Julia Brabant
October 15, 2024

Diagnosed: May 15, 2015
Survivor: Currently Cancer Free

When doctors diagnosed Mike Adams with pancreatic cancer in 2015, he had little hope for long-term survival.  Now, nine years later, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing.  However, with the help of surgical oncologist Dr. Doug Evans at Froedtert Hospital, Mike is now navigating calmer waters with a renewed sense of strength and purpose.

Mike’s symptoms were mild at first, and he scheduled an appointment with a gastroenterologist to treat what he thought might be acid reflux. He was also experiencing an unusual “pinching” sensation in his gut, kidney and back. It felt different from the back strain he’d previously experienced.

The GI doctor scoped Mike to get a better sense of the problem and recommended he begin taking medication for acid reflux, which he did for about three months. The reflux stopped but the pinching continued, so the doctor recommended he have an MRI.

When about a week passed after the scan and Mike had yet to receive his test results, he and his wife, Cindy, and their two daughters decided to move forward with a vacation, traveling from their hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, to St. Augustine, Florida. It was during that trip that Mike heard from his doctor, who delivered his Stage 3 pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

“The girls and Cindy and I didn’t say a word the whole way home,” Mike recalled. “We thought pancreatic cancer was pretty much a death sentence.”

Mike’s friend referred him to an oncologist at a local hospital who got Mike in right away for a consult. The surgeon Mike met with recommended chemo and radiation to shrink the tumor.  If that worked, he could be considered for a Whipple operation to remove the tumor.

Mike began undergoing chemotherapy using FOLFIRINOX. During treatment his blood counts dropped dangerously low and his doctors stopped the infusions.  After his blood counts improved, Mike continued treatment, knowing that the strong medication was likely his best shot at killing the cancer.

The chemo had significant side effects, including a lack of appetite, substantial weight loss and extreme nausea and dehydration. When these side effects persisted, Mike’s wife insisted he go the emergency room.

The ER doctor determined chemotherapy had inflamed Mike’s stomach and small intestine, closing off his digestive tract. The doctors installed a stent to allow food to pass through, but Mike faced numerous limitations as to what he could eat. Meat, rice and most vegetables and fruits were off the table, as was anything else that could potentially get stuck in the screen of the stent.

The goal of all the treatment was to enable surgeons to give Mike a Whipple procedure, a major surgery used to treat pancreatic cancer. When the tumor board of the hospital determined the Whipple was too dangerous for them to perform, Mike and his family visited another hospital for a second opinion. Those doctors agreed that Mike was not a good candidate for the Whipple procedure – again believing it was too dangerous.

Knowing the Whipple was his only chance for survival, Mike asked his oncologist if there was anyone else he should see.  He was referred to Dr. Doug Evans at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. Dr. Evans was known as an expert in pancreatic cancer and the Whipple procedure.

After reviewing Mike’s case, Dr. Evans agreed that he could perform the surgery, scheduling it in a matter of days after Mike’s initial visit. Mike had the Whipple procedure July 29, 2016; about 14 months after his initial pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

Recovery was difficult, with the Whipple procedure involving essentially a complete replumbing of the body’s digestive system. He returned to Atlanta after surgery but developed ascites, fluid in the abdomen, making his abdomen swell like that of a pregnant woman. “Your body drains a lot after that surgery,” Mike said. He returned to Froedtert where 8.2 liters of fluid were drained from Mike’s body.

“I couldn’t wait for that needle to go in, and I hate needles,” Mike said.

Mike spent about several months in the hospital recovering from the procedure and faced various other challenges including C. diff, which causes digestive issues and colitis, or inflammation of the colon.

“I had lots of complications, but I was blessed and I was lucky,” Mike said. “It took a bunch of people saying ‘no’ before I got to Dr. Evans.”

Mike’s condition improved slowly.  As soon as he was physically able, Mike began walking, and he soon joined a local gym, anxious to get back to something resembling regular life. He also continued to monitor his condition closely, having CT scans every three months, and then spacing them out to three times a year. Mike continues to experience digestive issues and an inability to gain weight in the aftermath of the surgery, among other side effects.

Now, as a nine-year survivor, Mike stays as active as possible and has annual checkups to monitor his condition. He recently developed Type 2 diabetes, which is common among pancreatic cancer patients due to the impacts of the disease on pancreatic function. While life certainly has its challenges, Mike is has learned to appreciate every day. He’d long dreamed of buying a boat and living on it during retirement, and he and his wife have done just that, with Mike reporting that the boat keeps him both busy and distracted from his health issues.

“You have to get on with living and have a good distraction,” Mike said. “Get on with the things you’ve always wanted to do.”

For Mike, part of that involved watching his two daughters, both of whom secured military scholarships, graduate from college. He also hoped to see them both turn 30; something that once seemed impossible. Now, one of them has already celebrated her 31st birthday, and the other will reach that milestone next year.

Mike also recognizes that, while his own experience with pancreatic cancer hasn’t been easy, others have it worse, and he reminds himself of this regularly.

“There’s always someone worse off than you, even in the chemo lab,” he said. “I only had to do it for a year; some people have to do it for the rest of their lives.”

Mike had an opportunity to meet other people living with pancreatic cancer, their caregivers and some of the nation’s top pancreatic cancer oncologists, surgeons and researchers at the Seena Magowitz Foundation’s 2024 Power of Us event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition to sharing his story at the event, he had a chance to tour MCW’s research labs and meet some of the doctors and researchers making progress in the fight against pancreatic cancer.

“It’s so helpful to go into the lab and meet the people; see the research,” Mike said. “It shows survivors and patients that there are things going on. People hear so many negative things; they need to have something that gives them the will to keep going.”

For Mike, seeing his children reach milestones and spending time with his wife on their trawler are among the things that keep him moving forward. He even named the boat “H’Evans Gift” as a reflection of his gratitude for the doctor who saved his life. Now, whenever he is on the water, he’s reminded of not only the hardships he’s overcome, but also the gifts of time and hope that continue to carry him through.