Many people think that the only option for pancreatic cancer patients is palliative care. A group of dedicated doctors and advocates want to change that perception.
When many pancreatic cancer patients hear their diagnosis, their first thought is, “This is a death sentence.” But when Anne Glauber received the news in 2014 that she’d been diagnosed, her first thought was, “I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to change the way people think about the disease.”
That’s how Let’s Win, a nonprofit organization that helps break down the barriers between patients and doctors by providing access to the latest and most innovative treatment options, was born. With help from her physician Allyson Ocean, MD, and philanthropic nonprofit veterans Cindy Price Gavin, Kerri Kaplan, and Willa Shalit, Glauber dedicated the remainder of her life to helping change the narrative around pancreatic cancer. Though she passed away from the disease in 2017, her co-founders have kept her legacy alive by continuing to provide patients access to information on the latest and greatest treatments about the disease.
One of the revolutionary new treatments highlighted by Let’s Win is a targeted radiation treatment created by ViewRay called MRIdian MRI-guided radiation therapy. By allowing a doctor to view a patient’s tumor in real-time, MRIdian targets pancreatic tumors with unprecedented precision.
When Florida-based packaging designer and manufacturer Scott Becker received his pancreatic cancer diagnosis at 57, he knew he wanted to be treated by the very best. Becker, whose cancer had metastasized to his liver, connected with Dr. Ocean, who suggested MRIdian treatment. Now almost two years out from his diagnosis and having undergone MRIdian treatment, Becker says his latest scans show that the cancer in his pancreas is currently inactive. “Every day that goes by now,” he says, “is a winning day.”
