Christine Wells Pancreatic Cancer Survivor

Written By: Julia Brabant, Updated August, 2026

Four Years After a Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis, Christine Wells Is Still Here — and Sharing What Helped Her Heal

Four years after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis upended her life, Christine Wells has more than clear scans to celebrate.

She also has more than 100 recipes, hundreds of photographs and a newly published cookbook to share that grew out of the way she learned to eat, think and live during and after cancer treatment.

“I’m Still Here: A Pancreatic Cancer Survivor’s Healing Kitchen: Recipes and Reflections for Strength and Hope” shares many of the nutrient-dense recipes Christine relied on throughout her own healing journey alongside personal anecdotes, positive affirmations and holistic wellness practices for those facing cancer. Organized around 12 themes of well-being, each chapter pairs nourishing, delicious recipes with heartfelt reflections and practical inspiration for cultivating greater strength and resilience  and more intentional living. A deeply personal labor of love, Christine researched, wrote, photographed, and designed the entire book herself, dedicating nearly two years to bringing it from its earliest concept to completion.

For me, I attribute my healing from cancer not just to traditional medicine, but also to the role that nutrition and wellness practices played in supporting me throughout my journey

“Food and healing are such a big part of my life,” Christine said. “For me, I attribute my healing from cancer not just to traditional medicine, but also to the role that nutrition and wellness practices played in supporting me throughout my journey. Food became a meaningful part of how I cared for myself. When I was first diagnosed, I was desperate to do anything I could to help my body through cancer treatment and recovery.”

Christine’s diagnosis came on July 25, 2022, after she experienced years of unexplained stomach pain. Christine, then 53, initially learned she had what doctors thought was a pancreatic “pseudocyst,” which is a fluid-filled sac that develops in or near the pancreas.

However, a subsequent biopsy showed “poorly differentiated mucinous adenocarcinoma,” prompting a diagnosis of Stage 2A pancreatic cancer.  Doctors determined Christine’s cancer had not yet spread to other organs, and Christine later acknowledged that she was grateful for the cyst because it helped doctors find the cancer before it spread.

To treat her condition, Christine went through several chemotherapy regimens, with the second one successfully shrinking her tumor. She also underwent radiation and oral chemo before her care team determined she was ready for surgery. Christine recalls her radiation oncologist telling her that reaching surgery was, itself, a major milestone, with relatively few pancreatic cancer patients in her position ever qualifying for it.

Christine had a distal pancreatectomy in March 2023, with her surgeon removing the neck, body and tail of her pancreas along with her spleen and 20 lymph nodes.

Follow-up tests brought news Christine welcomed: She’d had a complete response to treatment. Now, about four years after her initial diagnosis, she continues to have scans every six months, and, to date, all of them have been clear.

Finding a Sense of Control Through Food

While Christine is quick to acknowledge the role traditional medicine played in her treatment, she also found ways to support her health outside of clinical settings, making a point to stay active and eat well.

She completely eliminated refined sugar and processed foods from her own diet, choosing instead to focus largely on fruits, vegetables and nutrient-dense whole foods. She also immersed herself in research on nutrition and its role in supporting health and recovery, maintaining these habits long after treatment ended. While pancreatic cancer left so much outside of her control, she found a sense of empowerment in the things she could control—how she nourished her body and the healing practices she chose to embrace.

“Pancreatic cancer changed everything in my life,” Christine said, “but it also led to a journey of healing, gratitude, health, and simple wellness practices that support mind, body and spirit.”

Eventually, she started a blog, “Tina’s Cancer Fighting Recipes,” where she shared some of her own favorites, and soon, the idea for the cookbook took shape. Having grown up alongside a Korean father who loved to cook, Christine started honing her culinary skills at an early age. However, creating a cookbook required a new set of skills, with Christine studying graphic design so she could maintain control over how every page looked and brushing up on her photography skills so she could take every picture printed inside herself.

While some of the featured recipes came entirely from her own kitchen, others were adapted and transformed with nutrient-dense ingredients, antioxidant-rich spices and fresh flavors to make them her own. The end result is a colorful, eye-catching cookbook filled with more than 100 nourishing recipes featuring foods Christine continues to incorporate into her diet today.

While Christine’s personal efforts involved fully eliminating refined sugar and processed foods from her diet, the book focuses more on eating for nourishment and finding practical ways to support wellness.

As a cancer survivor, the cookbook I created is more than just a compilation of recipes, it’s a celebration of healing, gratitude, resilience and second chances.

Sharing Her Healing Philosophy on Paper

Christine knew early on that she didn’t want “I’m Still Here” to read like a traditional cookbook, so she made a point to pair each chapter with a different healing practice or theme, among them gratitude, mindfulness, laughter, nature, movement, music and positive affirmations. Together, the recipes and reflections offer readers ideas for caring for themselves physically, emotionally and spiritually.

“As a cancer survivor, the cookbook I created is more than just a compilation of recipes,” Christine said. “It’s a celebration of healing, gratitude, resilience and second chances.”

It’s a combination that’s resonating with some of the book’s early readers, many of whom appreciate not only the recipes and imagery, but also, the reflections and wellness practices woven throughout. The book is currently available for purchase for $49.95 on BookBaby with coupon code, “STILLHERE.” It may, too, become available on Amazon and through brick-and-mortar retailers in the near future.

Christine has also deepened her connections to the pancreatic cancer community since her diagnosis. She attended the Seena Magowitz Foundation’s first “Steppin’ Up Against Pancreatic Cancer” fundraiser at Arizona State University in November 2024 and became increasingly involved with the organization in the time since.

Today, she draws from her background in accounting to help manage donations. She also helps with the foundation’s new Care Kitchen initiative, which is a virtual cooking series for people with pancreatic cancer.

Christine continues to maintain an active lifestyle and relocated to Sedona, Arizona, where she spends time swimming, practicing yoga and hiking in a landscape she sees as healing.

“Cancer really opened my eyes to the beauty of the world all around me,” she said. “I have so much more gratitude for everything in my life – each day is such a gift when we can see and appreciate the beauty all around us.”

She’s also in the early stages of planning another cookbook, this time with children in mind and some inspiration coming from her six grandchildren. For now, though, “I’m Still Here” captures both where Christine’s been and what she hopes will help others facing their own serious diagnoses: encouragement, practical ideas, support and evidence that life after pancreatic cancer can have chapters no one sees coming.

“I learned so much through my cancer experience,” Christine said. “It taught me the joy of living in the present moment, because the future was so uncertain. Cancer was my greatest teacher.”

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