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Manny Garcia
Written By: Julia Brabant, Updated November 2025A Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis at Age 26: Manny Garcia’s Story
The majority of pancreatic cancer patients are at least 65 when they get their diagnoses, and almost all of them are over 45. Manny Garcia was 26.
Manny, then a Miami, Florida-based musician, skydiving coach and sales rep for high-end plumbing and hardware manufacturers, was on a business trip in Germany with his father in the spring of 2019 when he started experiencing sudden, sharp pains in his abdomen. Nausea and vomiting followed, and he thought maybe his symptoms were travel-related.
Everyone is always thinking about a ‘cure,’ but that isn’t always the best way to think about it. Early detection may be the best way to solve this problem, and seeing it in practice is a beautiful thing.
When Manny returned to Florida, his symptoms progressed, and he sought treatment at a local urgent care where doctors instructed him to take a laxative and sent him on his way. His condition deteriorated rapidly, so he skipped seeing his general practitioner and went straight to a gastroenterologist.
The gastroenterologist suspected gastritis and scheduled a follow-up for six to eight weeks later. In the days that followed, Manny felt worse and worse. He called the gastroenterologist again, telling him he couldn’t wait that long.
An endoscopy followed, and his doctor said he likely had esophagitis, an inflammation that damages the lining of the esophagus. Meanwhile, the list of foods that were actually palatable for him got shorter and shorter, and at his own insistence, he had an ultrasound.
The ultrasound revealed that Manny’s liver was twice its normal size. His doctor also noticed he was jaundiced, pointing out yellowness in the whites of his eyes. Thinking that hepatitis might be a possibility, the doctor told Manny to go to the hospital right away for a CT scan.
The scan revealed lesions all over the inside and outside of his liver. The CT scan results, along with the results of his ultrasound, urine tests and a biopsy, led doctors to make a cancer diagnosis. Yet, they weren’t sure exactly what kind of cancer he was fighting and directed him to the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami to find out more.
It was Easter Sunday when he received news no 26-year-old expects to hear – he had Stage 4 NET carcinoma, and his prospects looked poor. He had a mass in his pancreas, and his liver had more tumors than doctors could count. He also had one in his spine and two additional brain tumors.
“You’re on the sixth floor right now – there’s a slight chance we might be able to move you to the 11th floor – that’s the chemo floor,” hospital staff said. “But it’s more likely we’ll move you to the 13th floor.”
“What’s on the 13th floor?” Manny had asked.
“Hospice.”
He started receiving palliative care and radiation for his brain tumors, but he had no intention of going anywhere beyond the 11th floor. He saw a series of doctors and specialists but struggled to find oncologists willing to take on his case given how far his cancer had progressed.
Hearing that news can put you in a dark place. It’s about shifting that perspective and asking, ‘OK; what do we do next? How do we fix it?
Things took a turn when Dr. Peter Hosein, a world-renowned, highly respected oncologist and researcher within the University of Miami Health System, decided to review his case. The doctor ruled out surgery or transplants as treatment options given how far Manny’s cancer had advanced, telling him he had two options: either hope for a miracle, or start a “watered-down,” weak version of chemotherapy.
Manny opted to start chemotherapy – receiving about 25% of the typical dosage – a few days later. His doctors did blood work up to four times daily to monitor him along the way. His reaction to the chemotherapy was almost immediate, and within days, he found himself eating more than he had in months. He continued chemo from May through August of 2019, but his doctor told him he may follow the path of other patients and develop an allergic reaction to the drug in time.
Doctors asked Manny if he’d be up for trying an experimental immunotherapy treatment involving OPDIVO and YERVOY, two drugs used in combination to treat certain forms of cancer. The treatment was not currently FDA-approved for use in people with his condition, but Manny may have a hand in changing that. His reaction to the drug was promising – particularly for such an advanced case – and he’s since been a part of three case studies led by Dr. Hosein, with doctors and researchers performing in-depth assessments of his situation and progress to gain insights into cases similar to his.
We don’t have a family history of cancer or pancreatic cancer, and we saw a geneticist – there wasn’t anything unusual. We just don’t know enough about the disease to know what caused it.
Manny continued to have clear scans for several years after the experimental treatment, but in 2023, scans identified an area of concern. His team kept a close eye on the spot for about a year, watching it grow and then shrink during that time, and they eventually determined it wasn’t “behaving like pancreatic cancer.”
However, a Natera blood test suggested otherwise, leading Manny’s medical team to enroll him in a new clinical trial that would again use OPDIVO AND YERVOY to treat what they now suspected was a “low-grade variety” of what he’d faced before. He also continues to undergo immunotherapy treatment as part of his evolving care plan.
Long before enrolling in the new clinical trial, Manny sought answers about what might have caused or contributed to his cancer. So far, he hasn’t really found any.
“We don’t have a family history of cancer or pancreatic cancer, and we saw a geneticist – there wasn’t anything unusual,” he said. “We just don’t know enough about the disease to know what caused it.”
While he hopes to have answers someday, for now, Manny is content knowing his case is helping doctors and researchers come up with new potential treatment methods for patients. He also notes that his battle helped mend fractured family relationships, remarking that his family is now the strongest it’s ever been.
Manny also makes a point to speak publicly about his experience with the hope that it may help others facing pancreatic diagnoses, and particularly, those who receive diagnoses at a young age.
“Hearing that news can put you in a dark place,” he said. “It’s about shifting that perspective and asking, ‘OK; what do we do next? How do we fix it?’”
He also recognized that not everyone is as fortunate as he is in terms of the support he received from his family and friends.
“Lean on those who love you,” he said. “The number-one thing to remember is you’re not alone.”
These days, Manny makes a point to find time for the things he loves, like music, skydiving and base-jumping. He’s also in the process of buying his childhood home in Florida – and buying out the family business, the same one he worked for at the time of his diagnosis.
With his future looking bright and busy, Manny acknowledges the sense of “victory” he feels as a young pancreatic cancer survivor. He’s also making an effort to save and manage his money more, working to find a balance between living life to the fullest and planning for the future.
Manny’s experience with pancreatic cancer has also helped shape how he feels about cancer research and the funding that goes toward it. He’s become increasingly aware of where research dollars go, what institutions receive them and what medical breakthroughs result from them. He’s also become more attuned to new advancements in pancreatic cancer, and particularly when they involve blood testing and other potential early detection techniques.
“Everyone is always thinking about a ‘cure,’ but that isn’t always the best way to think about it,” he said. “Early detection may be the best way to solve this problem, and seeing it in practice is a beautiful thing.”
While Manny’s future plans include finalizing the purchase of his home and taking over the family business, he’s also hoping to hire and train a strong team to help run it, recognizing that time is precious. And while he’s putting plans in place for a happy home and a long-term career, he’s also eager to protect his time, embark on new adventures, and, ultimately, continue to live life on his terms.
