Man lives each day to fullest with pancreatic cancer

BARRIE - Christmas came a month early in the McGowan house. And aside from unwrapping gifts and digging through his stocking Nov. 25, Terry McGowan is cherishing each moment he has with his family. Especially this month, which is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month in Canada. McGowan turned 65 on Oct. 1 and has survived 15 months with the deadly cancer.

Usually by the time doctors diagnose pancreatic cancer, it has spread to surrounding organs like the liver or lymph nodes, and patients are given between three to six months to live. McGowan’s diagnosis came July 22, 2011.

He was jaundiced – one of the symptoms of pancreatic cancer. Others include a loss of appetite and weight, itching and nausea. The pancreas is deep in a person’s belly and excretes enzymes into the stomach to help break down food. It also helps regulate insulin in the body. Although the exact cause is unknown, possible sources include poor diet, alcohol and smoking – which McGowan admits are in his past.

Doctors at Royal Victoria Hospital did an ultrasound and gave McGowan a preliminary diagnosis. From there, a CAT scan and endoscopy at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto confirmed it. McGowan and his wife Ann did their homework to start fighting the cancer together.

He started a drug trial at Princess Margaret Hospital, which shrank the tumour by 38 per cent. Further chemotherapy treatments also halted the growth of the cancer and a stent was put into his bile duct – which has been replaced four times – to help his pancreas function as best as possible.

“You have to take your health into your own hands,” said McGowan. He now walks with the help of a cane and jokes that he’s lived “beyond his expiration date.” He said humour is just a part of dealing with mortality.“ All of this has taught me to appreciate each day. Each day I’m able to do something is a good day. “There were days with chemo when I’d be sick five days out of seven. But that meant having two days when I wasn’t sick.”

It’s also meant speeding up all those tasks on his to-do list. He’s retraced his genealogy, discovering things like that his father served with the Queen’s Own Rifles. Meanwhile, McGowan has never seen the military display at Casa Loma in Toronto. Since it isn’t accessible for someone needing a wheelchair for the day, his wife and teenage daughter filmed the tour for him. He’s scanned old photos, including one of himself as a young Toronto police officer and a1966 Newmarket Redmen hockey picture.

The couple renewed their wedding vows June 23 this year, and he donned a crown to be ‘king for the day’ on his 65th birthday. “I’m tying up loose ends I always meant to do but never got to,” he said.

For Christmas, he didn’t want clothes or other material items. “I told my kids I wanted events.” He got tickets to Medieval Times and an AHL hockey game. “The biggest disappointment is I can’t go out of province. If my stent collapses, it has to be taken care of,” said McGowan.

Patrick Swayze’s death in September 2009 brought awareness to pancreatic cancer – which is the least funded in terms of research – and McGowan knows medical advancements since then have added to his lifespan.

“I look at the trials and I think they saved me. In reality, if the next trial doesn’t help me, I know (my participation) may help somebody else.”

Story courtesy of the Barrie Advance - Janice Ramsay