Celebrating new tools in the fight against cancer

June is Cancer Survivors Month, and this one is especially worth recognizing for me.

I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in November 2022. Since then, I’ve undergone multiple rounds of chemotherapy, radiation and a Whipple surgery. For more than three and a half years, I underwent 40 hours of chemo every three weeks. Thankfully, I have recently been put on a chemo pill that I can take at home—a blessing that can help keep me alive while not restricting me to long days of receiving chemo. 

While I still have scans every three months, I’m holding my own—still spending time with my daughters, sons-in-law and five grandchildren; working as a bank branch manager; going to book club and enjoying dinners with friends. While my previous reality will never look the same, I’ve learned that life still can be good and full. But I’m reminded every day that many others have not had that opportunity.

Thanks to decades of research, we’ve seen great advances in treating cancer more successfully. But we still have a long way to go when it comes to detecting it sooner. Too many people are diagnosed too late, dying too soon, leaving behind loved ones sick with grief—running out of time while longing for another day.

Access to tools to catch and combat cancer must remain a priority. In recent months, we’ve heard promising results about a potential pancreatic cancer vaccine, an experimental drug that extended survival in advanced disease, and a multi-cancer early detection test that increased cancers found by four times when added to recommended screenings, while reducing Stage IV diagnoses. We need to sustain this progress and ensure policies support innovation and patient access to the latest advances.

This is particularly urgent for pancreatic cancer. Experts predict it will be the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. within four years. There is no routine screening, and more than half of patients are diagnosed at Stage IV. Fortunately, Congress recently passed the Nancy Gardner Sewell Act, which creates a pathway for Medicare to cover new screening tests—including those that can detect pancreatic cancer in earlier stages. I am proud that Alabama’s Rep. Terri Sewell was the lead champion, turning the loss of her mother — to pancreatic cancer, sadly — into a purpose that will benefit patients across Alabama and the U.S.

We can all do our part to fight cancer. For starters, pay attention to your body. Know the symptoms of cancer. For pancreatic cancer, watch for unexplained weight loss, upper abdominal or back pain, new-onset diabetes—or, as in my case, sudden jaundice.

When that symptom first alerted me to a problem, I felt perfectly fine. I had just painted my porch and finished a big landscaping project. Many people are surprised by a cancer diagnosis precisely because they don’t feel sick. That is why new early detection tools are so encouraging.

This Cancer Survivors Month, I’m joining a chorus of voices thanking Rep. Sewell and calling on policymakers and researchers to keep developing and expanding access to new tools and treatments—creating more stories of survivorship, reducing heartache and turning hope into measurable progress for millions of Americans.