Laura Grant

While Laura’s experience at a major cancer center and the surgery she had there were successful, she did experience high blood sugar in the aftermath, prompting her care team to start her on metformin, a medication sometimes used to treat Type 2 diabetes. She took the medication for about a year, but her blood sugars were all over the place and she also experienced hypoglycemia while on it and eventually stopped taking it.

In retrospect, she sees these health issues as a potential clue about what was to come. Even before her cancer diagnosis, Laura dealt with high blood sugar, and she now wonders if this might have been related to her cancer.

Experiences like this have also impacted the perspective Laura shares with others facing similar health struggles. She hopes to see more people with pancreatic cancer receive care at major cancer institutions, and she also hopes more doctors treating people with it become knowledgeable about the nutritional and diabetes-related aspects of a pancreatic cancer battle, particularly post-Whipple surgery.

She also feels optimistic about her future nearly nine years after her own diagnosis, and with good reason – to date, all of her follow-up scans have been clear. She continues to see her cancer team annually by choice, though, in part because she still has some abdominal pain and in part because it brings her peace of mind.

Over time, Laura has adjusted to having these annual checkups and no longer experiences much of what some call “scanziety,” or anxiety leading up to scheduled scans and tests. While her health has, for the most part, held steady in the years since her diagnosis, Laura has faced some personal challenges along the way, including the loss of her husband about six years ago.

She’s also retired and become increasingly adept at learning to manage her dietary needs, which have changed quite a bit since her diagnosis and surgery.

“I have normal struggles with food – I don’t eat out very often,” she said. “You learn what you can and can’t eat and what you’re willing to risk.”

Laura also underwent genetic testing to see if she had any predispositions or genetic links to pancreatic cancer – or cancer, in general – her children should know about, but the tests didn’t reveal any clear connections.

These days, Laura makes an effort to share her survival story to support others, knowing firsthand how isolating a pancreatic cancer diagnosis can be. At the time of her own diagnosis, she didn’t know anyone who had the condition, so she hopes to become the resource for others she wishes she had then.

She also hopes that, as more long-term survivors step forward and share their stories, perceptions about pancreatic cancer continue to change.

“People hear it and think you’re done. The perception is that there’s no cure – I think that’s a real barrier,” Laura said. “It’s important to share with people that you can get through this. There’s lots of amazing stuff taking place, and I hope they keep working at it all.”

Laura also embraces the future with a sense of optimism and resolution.

“I don’t know about tomorrow, but I’m at peace. I think about it from time to time…what if it comes back? But it doesn’t really stress me out anymore; my perspective is pretty positive,” Laura said. “I really feel like I beat this, but if it comes back, I can face it again. It’s not what rules my life anymore.”