How do you explain to others what it is like to lose both parents to pancreatic cancer in less than 18 months? Frankly, you can’t. Instead, I would like to focus on the things that occurred during my parents’ lives, including their treatment and the moments that mattered most. My name is Doug Christiansen and …

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January 2015. We had just completed our first full year of living in Pennsylvania. Still adjusting to a new home, city, and state, we had started to make a few friends. I went from working full time in Colorado, to staying at home full time with our youngest child here. I had decided it was …

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Support is one of the pillars of the mission of the National Pancreas Foundation (NPF). Caregivers provide selfless support for their loved ones who are suffering from pancreas disease. For this edition, we want to feature the caregivers for those whose voices are rarely heard – those with pediatric pancreatitis. The parents featured in this …

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When did your pancreas story begin? Nearly 10 years ago, I began suffering from abdominal pain, nausea, and difficulty eating. It took many years of appointments, testing, and other procedures for me to be diagnosed with Chronic Pancreatitis due to a ductal abnormality. Despite a cholecystectomy and other endoscopic procedures including multiple ERCPs with stenting, …

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