Jackie Tomberlin was the center of attention during a party Saturday at her Salida home. She wanted people to know there is life after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
She recently marked the five-year anniversary of a surgery to remove a tumor from her pancreas. That places the Salida woman within the 6 percent of pancreatic cancer patients who live for more than five years.
Tomberlin, 55, basked in the warmth of friends who attended the party to celebrate the milestone. She has some digestive problems and other effects of the elaborate surgery at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco in 2009, but does not complain, she said.
“I will live like this,” said Tomberlin, who walks every day and loves to garden. “I have an amazing husband who takes care of me. I have a great life.”
Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate of all cancers. The pancreas is hidden behind the stomach, making tumors hard to detect and treat. Often, the symptoms don’t appear until after the cancer has spread. By the time the disease is diagnosed, patients may have only months to live.
In 2008, Tomberlin’s mother had died and she was stressed by her father’s struggle with dementia. With all the pressure, she thought the burning sensation in her stomach and back pain were ulcers, prompting her to see a doctor.
Her physician ordered a CT scan, which found a tumor in the head of the pancreas. She was sent to California Pacific, where a long-needle biopsy determined it was cancer.
Her diagnosis coincided with actor Patrick Swayze’s well-publicized battle with pancreatic cancer. “I told my husband this is going to suck,” Tomberlin recalled.
With the cancer in stage IIB, her team of doctors recommended a “Whipple procedure.” Parts of her pancreas, stomach and small intestine were removed and the remaining parts were reconnected during the eight-hour procedure.
Since the surgery, Tomberlin has gone in for blood work and diagnostic imaging every three months. No other tumors have appeared in five years.
Kelly Frederick, a neighbor and close friend, said she is inspired by Tomberlin’s story. “I have done sprint triathlons and half marathons, but to me, she is stronger than I am,” said Frederick, a personal trainer. “In the days before she goes in for a CT scan, she says, ‘I’m going to allow myself to be down for one day and the rest of the days are going to be up.’ ”
Tomberlin said a 49-year-old sister and 52-year-old brother died four months apart from different illnesses, which had made her pray that she would see her 50th birthday. She celebrated it and soon was diagnosed.
Tomberlin has two grown sons and a grandson, and said she also draws strength from members of the church she attends. She said another inspiration is walking with other cancer survivors at Relay for Life events.
Pancreatic cancer has a higher profile since it claimed the lives of Swayze and former Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs. Frederick said her friend can’t tell others she has had the disease without getting a reaction about the grim survival rate. They wanted the public to know about survivors who live productive lives.
According to the American Cancer Society, some patients prefer not to know the survival numbers for their illness. And Tomberlin found that some doctors tried not to alarm her about pancreatic cancer. When she asked a surgeon about the outcomes for Whipple surgery, he referred vaguely to an 80 percent figure.
Tomberlin said she found out later that 20 percent was the five-year survival rate for the procedure. At the party Saturday, she held up a picture that read, “I fought like a girl and won!”
“I am lucky,” Tomberlin said. “I don’t know what my plans are but I just want to do the best I can.”
Bee staff writer Ken Carlson can be reached at kcarlson@modbee.com or (209) 578-2321.
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