FAQ
Who Are We?
Former patients and caregivers are commonly called ‘survivors’ and ‘weary partners’ in the life changing journey that is cancer-world. Most who fit either one of these descriptions do the best they can to erase their cancer memories, especially pancreas cancer, and get back to ‘living.’
But NOT us…we’re a little different from the ‘norm.’
Our roster is made-up of several awesome people.
There’s our guy ‘at the Conn’…he can navigate a nuclear sub, so you know he can go to battle against pancreas cancer. Like any solid Navy man, he mapped out a strategy to attack and conquer his pancreas cancer with the best weapons available. He’s here to share that course. That’s Randy. Diagnosed December 2013. Survivor.
We’ve got a money guy in this group. You always need a money guy. This money guy handled the books for some of the most innovative and industry defining companies around. He took hold of his pancreas cancer the same way. He balanced the odds by carefully selecting the doctors he thought would bring him the best results for survival. The bottom line, it worked and he’s here to suggest the best patient advice from his experience. That’s Jay.
Pancreas cancer is a tough cancer. The odds to survive this cancer are improving but they are not good. Beating those odds can depend on where you go for treatment, your medical team, and are you getting the latest therapies targeted for pancreas cancer? We have a Big Pharma guy in our group! He was a Pharma executive for 23 years and has morphed into a consultant who serves the health care industry. This includes being dedicated to improving the patient experience. And, did we mention he’s a THREE time cancer survivor? That would be Rob.
And that brings us to our ‘caregiver.’ She had a fine life. Her husband and she were both hard-charging journalists, traveling the world, covering front page stories, major sporting events, feature stories that painted video pictures with storytelling words that were seen most every night on major television networks. Then cancer dropped in for an extended stay and their lives were forever changed. She learned to be a caregiver, advocate, voice for the weary and of the weary. Remember, there are no days off in cancer world for the patient or the caregiver. She dusted off those caregiving tools again a few years later when her nephew faced terminal Melanoma. Using many of the same tools and learning some new ones, she’s here to hopefully ‘lift-up’ the weary caregivers and keep Hope alive. That would be Laurie.
That’s our KALEIDOSCOPIC group! We come in unison…voices that bring knowledge, experience, guidance and understanding of what today’s pancreas cancer patients and caregivers are facing.
Amy, Randy, Jay, Rob and Laurie….lean on us.
When and Where
Our video chat virtual group meets on the 4th Thursday of each month at 8 pm Eastern, 7 pm Central, 6 pm Mountain and 5 pm Pacific in the AnCan Schmier Room. You can join online or by phone at +1 646 749 3127 Access # 656-182-845. See the Joining Instructions Panel above right for more information and other Country Access codes.
Resources
TriCan Health helps pancreatic cancer patients and caregivers make informed treatment decisions by providing accurate, unbiased identification of best-match clinical trials.
Upcoming Pancreatic Cancer Groups
No upcoming events scheduled.
Meet our Moderators
Jay Sandler
I was lucky. I had my first symptom 12/17/2012 when I noticed my urine was very dark and I started itching.
Laurie Singer
Caregiving is a hard job. You do it with every ounce of love and energy
possible and sometimes that’s really hard to sustain, but you find it
hiding in the spaces of your heart marked “for emergency use only.”
Randall Swan
Pancreatic Cancer (“The Beast”) came knocking at the door. Ask anyone who has received a cancer diagnosis and they will surely be able to tell you the day, date, and quite possibly the time the news was delivered. My Pearl Harbor Day? December 19, 2013.
Rob Weker
Rob is a three-time cancer survivor, including being diagnosed with Stage IIb pancreatic cancer in 2014.
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Resources
Past Recordings
If you’re curious about the format of a virtual support group, click HERE to see recordings of past groups.
Tax Deductible Donation Info
Our services are free, but if you benefit then please consider a tax deductible donation.
AnCan does not provide medical advice – we do empower you to manage your own care.
Our calls are recorded and posted on this website for later listening; please note we are a peer-to-peer support group and not subject to HIPAA compliance.