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Treasure Valley pancreatic cancer survivor works to turn pain into gain

By Holly M. Anderson - handerson@idahostatesman.com

Published: 11/09/09


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John Bradley was just 45 years old when he got the news that changed his life.

He had only days to make critical decisions about where he’d have surgery and what kind of treatments he’d undergo to fight a cancerous tumor.

Bradley launched an intense effort to learn everything he could about pancreatic cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.

“I went from having zero knowledge to having a Ph.D. overnight,” he jokes.

While the Eagle resident found lots of information on the Internet, he really wanted to talk to other Treasure Valley residents battling pancreatic cancer and to have more access to local resources about pancreatic cancer care.

But Bradley couldn’t find a support group in the Treasure Valley — and survivors of the disease are hard to find.

Seventy-six percent of patients die within the first year of diagnosis, and the five-year survival rate is just 5 percent. Because the disease is hard to detect, it has often spread to other organs by the time it’s found.

Bradley — now 49 and a four-year survivor — beat those odds and reports his health is pretty good these days. Calling himself “a glass half full” kind of guy, he’s now working to bring attention to pancreatic cancer by volunteering for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and he is leading an effort to start a Treasure Valley affiliate of PanCAN so that others will have the local support that he couldn’t find.

It’s also a way for Bradley to share his gratitude and journey with others and to fulfill his hope of living his life with purpose, a mission he discovered during his treatment and one that’s helped him make peace with his battle.

“It’s a different place to be than I normally would have wanted to be at this point in my life, but I’ve also had a lot of positive things come through this,” Bradley says.

Holly Anderson: 672-6735

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