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Joe Levine
Written By: Carlin Kuhlmann and Debra Gelbart, February 2022; Updated by Julia Brabant May, 202611-Year Pancreatic Cancer Survivor Joe Levine’s Life Saved 3 Times by Women Who Refused to Ignore Warning Signs
Joe Levine has a simple theory about why he’s still above the dirt.
The women in his life refuse to let him ignore a problem.
Over the past two decades, three different moments have proven that point, with all three involving one of Joe’s loved ones pushing him to see a doctor when he’d likely otherwise have brushed off warning signs. The first incident occurred in 2005, when Joe, of Scottsdale, Arizona, started having chest pains at work. He tried to shrug them off, but his wife, Tammy, insisted otherwise and forced him to go to the hospital – where he had a heart attack in the emergency room a few hours later.
If it wasn’t for her, I would not be here. Had I continued on my old lifestyle, I wouldn’t be above the dirt right now.
About 10 years later, Tammy stepped in again when Joe mentioned feeling dehydrated. He’d also noticed that his urine had turned unnaturally dark, like the color of root beer. When he shared his symptoms with Tammy, she sent him back to the hospital, where he admittedly might not have otherwise gone. At the time, Joe was focusing much of his time and attention on his mother, who was in hospice care, and he didn’t want to shift his focus away from her or give the family anything else to worry about.
“She’s the one who pushes me to go to the hospital when I don’t want to,” Joe said of his wife, noting that the pair first met 27 years ago. “If it wasn’t for her, I would not be here. Had I continued on my old lifestyle, I wouldn’t be above the dirt right now.”
Doctors at the hospital ran bloodwork, with the results revealing that Joe had dangerously elevated bilirubin and lipase levels. Doctors determined he had a blockage in his bile duct and a severe case of pancreatitis, eventually leading to the Stage 2B pancreatic adenocarcinoma diagnosis.
Joe was fortunate in that his care team acted quickly. He met with a surgeon who determined that his condition looked operable. Within about two weeks of their meeting, Joe had surgery, with doctors successfully removing his tumor.
Having a great support group of other survivors is one of the best things someone can have so that they feel that they can become a survivor, themselves.
A decade later, one of the women in Joe’s life stepped up once again.
In 2025, Joe found himself struggling to finish routine tasks and noticed his heart racing when it shouldn’t be. He relayed his symptoms to his daughter, who urged him to go to the hospital.
It turned out Joe was facing a severe case of sepsis, a condition that can become increasingly serious or even fatal if left untreated. Had he not heeded his daughter’s advice and sought immediate medical care, his outcome might have again been quite different.
Yet, because of his wife and daughter’s insistence, Joe is still living, working full-time and thriving. He feels fortunate in that his health has held relatively steady in recent years, aside from the bout with sepsis, and he continues to have annual oncology appointments to keep an eye on his condition.
When free time does arise, Joe and Tammy are often traveling, with recent adventures taking them to Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Portugal and Morocco, to name just a few recent destinations. Vietnam, in particular, was a highlight, giving Joe the best two weeks he’s spent anywhere in the world. Joe and Tammy traveled quite a bit domestically before his cancer diagnosis but increased their international travel in the wake of it.
Every day when I wake up, the first thing I think about is, ‘It’s a great day to be above the dirt, we all should celebrate every day we have above the dirt.'
“I go for the food, she goes for my company,” Joe joked.
Joe also participates in support groups most months, joining other survivors and people currently facing pancreatic cancer to share advice and resources and help combat the isolation many feel after a diagnosis.
“Having a great support group of other survivors is one of the best things someone can have so that they feel that they can become a survivor, themselves,” Joe said.
Joe also follows developments in pancreatic cancer research and care and feels optimistic about the field’s future. He does, however, hope to see more breakthroughs take place when it comes to certain aspects, like early detection.
“I was very lucky to have Mayo Hospital here,” Joe said, referencing one of the places he received treatment. “I was lucky to have great care, but I’m also one of the luckiest people out there because, thanks to the women in my life, I was detected before it became Stage 3.”
Joe also acknowledges some of the progress researchers and doctors have made in pancreatic cancer treatment over the past decade.
“Ten years ago, there were very few chemotherapies,” Joe said. “Clinical trials have changed that and brought some new treatments to light that were never used before.”
And while Joe credits doctors, fellow survivors and medical advancements for the success he’s experienced since his 2015 diagnosis, he’s especially grateful for the persistence of the women in his life who refused to let him delay medical care.
“Every day when I wake up, the first thing I think about is, ‘It’s a great day to be above the dirt,’” Joe said. “We all should celebrate every day we have above the dirt.”
Joe has not shown signs of active cancer since 2015.
