Annette Jindra

Annette had undergone a chest X-ray under the guidance of her Oshkosh, Wisconsin care team as part of her treatment for ongoing lung issues, with the X-ray revealing several nodules on her lung. Her medical team kept a close eye on the areas of concern and monitored them for two years, with all tests coming back negative for cancer.

She eventually relocated to Arizona, and follow-up tests there again revealed nodules on her lung. After a CT scan, which she had every six months, Annette received a phone call from the radiology and imaging center stating that, while the lung nodules looked normal, they wanted her to have some additional scans.  Annette asked why that was necessary, and when the staff member she spoke with was unsure Annette refused the test, citing that she’d just had one.

Annette returned to Arizona and had an ERCP and a biopsy about a week later that confirmed the presence of cancer. Her doctor recommended she see Dr. Brendan Curley, DO, at Scottsdale’s HonorHealth. She urged the doctor to “Get this show on the road,” and had a port installed a week later, beginning nine rounds of chemotherapy with a combination of gemcitabine and Abraxane the following day. She lost the majority of her hair during the treatment, opting to wear hats or a wig in the aftermath.

After about three months of chemotherapy, in February 2022, Annette had a Whipple procedure, with MD Anderson’s Dr. Rajesh Ramanathan performing the operation. Recovery was long and arduous, with the Whipple surgery involving an extensive replumbing of the digestive system. However, Annette had lots of help from her adult children, Molly, Sarah and Karen, and her sisters. She also received plenty of emotional support from friends, many of whom checked in regularly if they weren’t geographically close enough to lend a hand in person. The influx of support proved especially helpful about a week after Annette left the hospital, when a bout of dehydration forced her to return for another four-day stay.

Following her release, Annette’s medical team had her undergo adjuvant, or after-primary-treatment, chemotherapy using FOLFIRINOX. She did so for three months, finishing in June of 2022. Initially, she experienced minimal side effects aside from an ongoing headache, but as time passed, she experienced increasingly severe nausea, exhaustion and malaise, leading her doctors to lessen her dose. Her loved ones also made accommodations to make life more manageable for Annette during this time, with her son-in-law, Carl, who’d been a huge source of support the whole way, helping her walk around the yard and encouraging her to stay active. When Annette became unable to lift herself out of the pool any longer, she began six weeks of physical therapy, and Carl built an extra step and pool railing so that Annette could get herself in and out without help.

“Compared to many people, my convalescence was so much easier,” Annette said. “It wasn’t a piece of cake and I don’t like to say, ‘easy,’ but all in all, I had a mostly uneventful time, with no infections or complications, and only one return to the hospital.”

These days, Annette – now a four-year survivor – has follow-up scans and bloodwork every four months. She takes an aqua aerobics class three times a week, travels to see friends in Wisconsin and Texas, meets friends for lunch and stops into local stores where she can walk the aisles at her own pace with a shopping cart for support.

She has also begun attending fundraisers and networking events with other pancreatic cancer survivors, including the Seena Magowitz Foundation’s last two “Power of Us” celebrations in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the foundation’s most recent “Steppin’ Up for Pancreatic Cancer” fundraising walks at Arizona State University.

Annette also tries to follow a better diet, keep her blood sugar down and spend as much time with her loved ones as possible, and she’s also taken genetic tests to see if there are any hereditary concerns or predispositions to cancer her blood relatives should know about. Tests showed that Annette carries the KRAS gene, which is common among people with pancreatic cancer and known to promote cancer development.

While Annette recognizes how knowledge of one’s genetics can provide important information about cancer risks, she also understands and values the efforts of cancer caregivers, since it’s a role similar to one she held herself. Her husband, Dan, of 45 years, had Multiple Sclerosis, a diagnosis received a year after they married, and she helped care for him for the last 10 or so years until his death.

The loss of her husband, coupled with her own cancer experience, has made Annette increasingly aware of how important time with family is, and she strives to make her loved ones a priority, sharing regular Sunday dinners at her daughter, Molly’s house, and spending time with her children, grandchildren and two great-grandchildren whenever possible.

“It’s such a joy to watch them grow up,” she said. “I do brag about them to anyone who will listen.”

She also has some words of encouragement for other people facing a diagnosis similar to hers.

“You’re never too old – I was 82 when I was diagnosed. I’m 86 now, and I’m still here. You always need to have hope, faith, a positive attitude and maybe a sense of humor. It’s sure not always easy, but you pick yourself up by your bootstraps, put on your big girl panties and keep on going,” Annette said. “It’s good to be on this side of the grass, and I hope to be here for a long time.”