Ezra was 9-years-old when he had his first pancreatitis attack. In this story, his parents recount his journey with pancreatitis, how they learned to advocate for their son, and provide advice for caregivers going through the same situation. It happened suddenly. Very early one morning, I received a phone call from Ezra’s friend’s mom. Ezra [...]
How old were you when you had your first bout of FCS? What were the symptoms? When I was a baby, younger than a year old, I had a soft lump on my upper back just between my shoulder blades. My parents had taken me to the doctor to get it checked out. They said [...]
Bella's Mission to Help Kids Like Her Most every kid deals with a fear of monsters at some point. Monsters under the bed or in the closet. Monsters in movies or books that later make a special guest appearance in our dreams. As a carefree 12-year-old, Bella was almost a teenager—old enough to know that [...]
Mental Health and Pancreas DiseaseBy Jenny Jones, Pancreatitis Patient Advocate I started getting sick with pancreatitis when I was in third grade, 9 years old. This disease impacted me physically and mentally. I was in excruciating pain, unable to gain weight, feeling alone, misunderstood, and very different. As a result, I became anxious and depressed. As a [...]
My pancreatitis journey began in 2017; although at first - I didn’t know it was pancreatitis. It began with a stabbing pain that shot through my back. Since I’ve had four back surgeries, I thought the pain could be orthopedic in nature. I saw my orthopedist and began by getting lumbar shots, acupuncture and physical [...]
Dean with his wife Nanci Ever since I can remember I've not felt well and often this feeling was accompanied by severe pain and recurring hospital visits. For most of my youth, I spent about several weeks of every year missing school or being in the hospital. Most of the time in horrible pain that [...]
My name is Meaghan. I live in Philadelphia with my husband Steve and my son Teddy. My journey with pancreatitis began in 1993 when I was 8 years old and hospitalized at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) for acute pancreatitis. Just a few months before that, my older sister had her first attack of [...]
Michelle and her Dad, Jim Arrow My name is Michele Walsh, daughter of Jim Arrow. My Dad was 63 years old when his journey of three years with pancreatitis began. Who was Jim Arrow? He was a hard-working business owner of James A. Arrow Plumbing since 1986. His smile and laugh lit up a [...]
My name is Lee Zeidman. I am a Strategic Communications Consultant and pancreatic cancer survivor. I’m a native Washingtonian. I was part of the team that launched CNN in 1980. I also was a local sportscaster early in my career in Washington, D.C. and New York City. What were your symptoms of pancreatic cancer? [...]
Breanna and her family My daughter Breanna was born with a passion for loving and serving others, and her ever-present laughter, talented music, and songs filled our world! She had a unique way of making everyone feel truly loved and treasured. She was the typical teenage high school girl, full of energy and [...]
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