The 5-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is 9%. Today is my 1-year anniversary since having a major surgery to remove a large portion of my pancreas to remove a baseball-sized lesion and to redirect some of my intestines. I’ll never know if endometriosis caused this or saved my life. If it weren’t for good treatment of my disease, I would have never found this lesion in a short enough time to keep it from invading my other organs. Life is a little different since then. I can’t eat a lot of popcorn, or have sugary or high carb foods, and have to take blood sugar medication. My tummy still hurts after a run or sit-ups. These are small things in the big picture and I’m beating the statistics. I will always be thankful for every next year of life and the wonderful people with me along the way.