My Story is about My dad, Bob

This event took place from 09/01/2016 to 10/26/2017

The Discovery

My dad, Bob, was having stomach pain for a few months. He went to the doctor and didn’t have a conclusive answer. Eventually, he had pancreatitis. He had an exploratory surgery to look for a tumor, which the surgeon did not believe was found. However, they did determine that he had pancreatic cancer after a final biopsy. It was a frustrating process, and we were never given a clear diagnosis until it was much later.

This is My Story

My family and I were amazed at how little funding, research, detection, and treatment options existed for people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This was apparent very quickly. We came together and turned the grief of our dad’s death into energy and movement.

We launched The Reaumond Foundation a year after my dad’s passing. The foundation was established to provide research grants to doctors and comprehensive cancer centers focused on cutting edge research to combat the effects of the 3rd leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.

Additionally, The Reaumond Foundation was established to provide financial assistance to families recently diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. The financial and emotional burden can be overwhelming and our foundation seeks to help those dealing with this deadly disease. Patients have a simple application process and have used funds for treatment, parking, transportation, groceries, rent, and other daily expenses that are often so impacted by pancreatic cancer.
In 2021, The Reaumond Foundation set an ambitious goal of raising $100,000 to provide subsidized housing to patients seeking extended care for pancreatic cancer at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas — the nation’s top hospital for cancer care. With the help of our generous donors, we were able to purchase and furnish our first home, which is within walking distance from MD Anderson, in December of 2021.

Homes of Hope aims to ease the financial burden of housing, provide better access to the nation’s top cancer hospitals, and provide a “home away from home” to families during their most difficult days.
Our foundation is our way of using our dad’s legacy as a vehicle for change and better outcomes.

The Impact of Time

The gift of time is so present in our story. My dad did very well with chemo treatment at first, and was able to enjoy much of his time with my mom and my three other siblings. He traveled to his other home in Arizona, exercised, enjoyed time with friends, and had a higher quality of life than you would expect with someone with this diagnosis.

My (now) husband and I had gotten engaged about two months before this diagnosis. We had a set plan to get married a year and a half after our engagement. My dad’s oncologist was pretty frank with us, and it was recommended to move the wedding up to a much closer date. We planned our wedding in two months. This was one of the best decisions I have ever made, as my dad was fully present at our wedding and in good health. It greatly shifted my priorities, and it was a “life lesson” that will be with my forever. It became so clear to me that our greatest gift is family and time spent together, and the rest is truly just noise.

It hasn’t even been five years since my father has passed. I often say it’s the shortest and longest time, as so much has changed. My husband and I are about to welcome our third child. In a very cliche way, my dad’s pancreatic cancer diagnosis serves a constant reminder that our time is finite and doesn’t wait for anyone. The buzzing thought that my dad has not met any of my children (or the three other grandchildren in our family) feels unbearable, cruel, and unfair in every way.
There will never be a day that I consider my dad’s death as a gift or a blessing. However, it changed me in ways that have made me a better person and shifted my outlook on life in such a meaningful way.

My Story is about my Abuela.

This event took place from 8 May 2016 until 2 December 2016

The Discovery

It took about 6 months and it all took place in Mexico. She went back home after a week stay because of her sister, who was once again diagnosed with stomach cancer and won the battle. She lost a lot of weight and strength which is why all her children pushed her to see a doctor. After about 6 months, she was too weak, and maybe 2 or so of her diagnoses were HepB/C because of her jaundice and nothing else was discovered until they got a look at her pancreas. She was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and was five about 3 months, if that, to live.

This is My Story

The 3 months she was given were cut short. After her diagnosis, maybe a few days after she worsened. She had bike spreading and had to be drained. She was given the option to spend the rest of her time in the hospital or at home. She decided to go home. This gave her and her children to spend time. She had some places, places where she would connect with god, that she wanted to visit. Although extremely tired and needing the help of everyone, she was able to visit most of those places she desired before she passes. After her diagnosis, she was with us for less than a month before she passed on 12/02/2016. She passed away in her sleep, but we do know that at that point all the bad stuff had spread to her brain.

The Impact of Time

I know you all have more positive stories, or early detection. Unfortunately for my grandma, she had neither. I hear all these different stories but they all have the best patient care possible because of their country. I believe that if she would have gotten taken care of here in the US that maybe, just maybe, she could have had a little more time.

My Story is about my Me

This event took place from 16 October 2019 until now

The Discovery

During a scan before an emergency peratinitus operation.

This is My Story

I was diagnosed too late, I guess I had symptoms for at least 18 months before my diagnosis. My cancer was only discovered during an emergency operation. If it hadn’t been discovered I know I wouldn’t be here now. Due to the excellent care of my nurses & doctors who are keeping me alive my tumour is stable but u operable I am able to enjoy my time with family & friends although I am very tired after 46 cycles of chemotherapy. Time to ne is important & making people aware of the symptoms is important.

The Impact of Time

Time is a gift, I was diagnosed 2 years ago, I have had 46 cycles of Folfirnox & 6 weeks of radiotherapy & exploration in 2 years. My gift is the treatment is keeping me alive, allowing me with time with my loved ones.

My Story is about my My mother-in-law, Tammy

The Discovery

Her cancer was discovered after a few visits to the emergency room for stomach pain. She was originally diagnosed with ulcers, but had a feeling it was something more, so she pushed for more help.

This is My Story

My daughter never got the chance to meet her paternal grandmother, so I make sure to make an extra effort to have her know and visit her remaining grandparents and great grandparents. I make sure she knows how much she would have been loved by her grandma, and that she knows stories and things about her. Just because someone is gone doesn’t mean their love and memories are. Wearing purple on World Pancreatic Cancer day is a way we can honor her love and memory together.

The Impact of Time

Every time I get frustrated, or short on patience with a loved one I stop and remember how lucky I am that I still have them in my life. I have the constant reminder that life can be very short, and it should be lived as I want to live it, not just sit back and wait for “the perfect time” to do things.

My Story is about My brother, Joshua

This event took place from 1 October 2017 to 9 April 2019

The Discovery

At age 36, my brother had started experiencing some back pain. He had a history of kidney stones and figured it was another bout of that. Time went on and the pain continued, becoming unbearable at times. He ended up having a biopsy done on his pancreas and they said they weren’t able to get a good sample. He ended up going to the emergency room due to the pain progressing. A scan was done and he was scheduled to see a gastroenterologist at University of Michigan on February 14,2018. Josh went to work that day and got off early for his appointment. My parents and I met Joshua at the medical center. We were all tense and had a bad feeling about this appointment, but tried to remain positive. The dr he had ran about an hour or so late. He came into the room and greeted us. He cut to the chase and told us that Joshua had stage 4 pancreatic cancer. The cancer had metastasized to his liver. Joshua said, “ok” and the Dr said, “no…it’s not ok”. We all had tears filling up our eyes as Joshua tried to remain strong for us after hearing this diagnosis. My dad asked the difficult question…what was his prognosis? The Dr said 10 months. He said there was nothing he could do for him besides palliative care.

This is My Story

We all went back to Joshua’s house afterwards and talked about where to go from here. That night, he contacted Cancer Treatment Centers of America for a second opinion on treatment options. They set him up with an appointment at their center near Chicago within 10 days. My dad transported him back and forth to the center for treatment and we all tried to remain hopeful. Throughout treatment, his tumors had shrunk some. This seemed promising. Unfortunately, Joshua also had cystic fibrosis and this created additional problems with his health and his ability to tolerate chemo. He eventually decided to obtain oncology care at a local hospital in Lansing, Michigan. As time went on, Joshua was in and out of the hospital. Did chemo as his body tolerated it. He lost a lot of weight off his already thin frame. He became jaundiced. His appetite became less and less. The pain medications he had been taking were no longer working. He became weaker by the day. On 1 April 2019, he told my family and I that he couldn’t do it anymore and needed more help to manage his pain. He decided to go on hospice. The next day, hospice services were set in place at our family’s home where Joshua wanted to stay. He was alert for a couple days, but would become irritable every night. We never left his side during this time. He was no longer eating or drinking. His breathing became rattled. On April 9, 2019, he was hardly communicating with us. He was staring off at the ceiling. We noticed his breathing had changed…his skin appeared bruised on his back and his nails were bluish…we were giving him pain meds every 5-10 minutes to control his pain and irritability. At 6:20pm, my brother passed away surrounded by his loved ones at the age of 37.

Since Joshua passed away, my dad also passed away on January 11, 2021 due to health issues. A big part of it was that he couldn’t handle being without his son. He had no will to fight anymore. RIP to both of them.

I love and miss you both.

The Impact of Time

Life is so very short. After losing 2 loved ones in my immediate family in 2.5 years, I’ve realized just how precious life truly is. I try to make the most out of my life because my loved ones that have passed on would love to be here enjoying their lives still.