I was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in November 2021 --- what a rollercoaster!  I have named my tumour the Pancreatic Prawn, or the Shrinking Shrimp and I implore anyone reading this to fry/grill/steam/BBQ a prawn, or any crustacean and annihilate it.  Since then I have been through 10 punishing rounds of chemo, followed by a six week "radical therapy", radio/chemo combo.  I finished this in August this year. I am still on my feet!    I am extremely lucky to have made it thus far.  I am outraged that, despite Pancreatic Cancer being the deadliest cancer there is, killing 10,000 people a year in the UK,  it receives a miserly 3% of all cancer funding.  There have been no change in outcomes since the 1970s, I feel locked in a Carry On Doctor film!  My future is scary, I was  confident, absurdly optimistic that this brutal treatment would shrink my shrimp and I would have an operation to remove the entire tumour, however the shrimp has not shrunk and surgery is not an option, although I have asked for a second opinion.   The medical professionals who have got me to this point have been wonderful, inspirational,  and I thank them all,  however the jewel in our crown, the NHS, is crumbling before my very eyes, due to a total lack of funding and recruitment (Brexshit, plus incompetent government - aaargh!) with the added layer of COVID on top.  I have had to fight tooth and nail for decent treatment and this puma is pretty toothless and nail-less now, and  hopeless.  I have been off any treatment for 3 months, and, naturally, I am terrified that the cancer will spread. Scans say that I could endure more chemo but my heart, soul and mind say no, this poisonous, old treatment did not work the first time did it.?  Therefore I have enrolled on a trial at UCL and another one at Margate, these are palliative trails not a cure.  I know now that I have 8 - 12 months to live they say, if the tumour does not spread, and "it will spread" say the eyes above the mask.  As usual my pan can friends all is unknowingness, guessing, planning/not planning ... I am planning some fabulous meetings with my nearest and dearest.  

I would love to run a marathon, but my legs are like jelly after so much treatment!  So, I will post an illustration as often as possible  with a caption or story, some of these will come from my rollocking read of an illustrated diary of my experience.  Go to my Instagram page if you want to know more!  

https://instagram.com/pancreaticpuma?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=