“Information out there about pancreatic cancer can be scary. In order to focus on getting better during my treatment I crawled into my shell. Now, with the help of the Abramson Cancer Center I’m five years cancer-free and thanks to A Love for Life I am beginning to find my voice in advocating for all patients."
—Anne Marie Hughes, pancreatic cancer survivor
Anne Marie Hughes at the 2017 International Dragon Boat Festival in Philadelphia
In 2010, Anne Marie Hughes had pain in her lower abdomen so severe it took her to the emergency room. There she was diagnosed with diverticulitis, but her gastroenterologist friend advised her to get more tests. A CAT scan showed a dilated duct and pancreatic divisum—a common congenital anomaly of the pancreatic duct. Further tests, including an ERCP, did not reveal a suspected tumor.
The Diagnosis
A year later, after having some additional digestive issues, Anne Marie’s gastroenterologist friend sent her for another MRI to ensure nothing had changed with her pancreas. In November 2011, the MRI revealed the tumor and ensuing ECRP confirmed the malignancy. Anne Marie was determined to beat this, and, with the help of family and friends, including cancer survivors and doctors, she immediately began researching treatment options.
“When preparing for my treatment, I was not interested in listening to the numbers. If my husband wanted to know them, I would leave the room. I just wanted to focus on getting better and not let the statistics bring me down,” Anne Marie shared.
Successful Treatment
Less than a month after her diagnosis in November 2011, Anne Marie had a Whipple procedure, a surgery to remove tumors in her pancreas. Thankfully her tumor was confined with clean margins and could be removed entirely—it was the best possible outcome.
With an incredibly supportive husband and three young children at home, as well as a bustling career that she continued throughout treatment—Anne Marie wanted to negate the chance of recurrence and decided to undergo chemotherapy and radiation. She consulted with many oncologists in Philadelphia, and decided to continue her treatment at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center (ACC).
“Everyone had a slightly different methodology so I’m glad I did my research. Penn had the best information and the best treatment options and approach,” Anne Marie said.
Anne Marie underwent chemotherapy for six months, followed by 28 days of radiation. She finished treatment in August 2012, just in time for her 45th birthday. And then she received the best gift of all—she was cancer-free.
Still in remission, she is monitored by her oncologist Ursina Teitelbaum, MD, who continues to put Anne Marie’s mind at ease.
“Dr. Teitelbaum is so communicative and has a calming presence. Like me, she has three children. She always says ‘she takes good care of her moms,’” Anne Marie shared. “I know I am in good hands.”
Another calming presence in Anne Marie's life has always been her father—who at 90 years old continues to be a source of inspiration and support.
Continuing the Fight
After defying the odds and beating pancreatic cancer, Anne Marie was ready to continue the fight as a community partner of the ACC. She found the group A Love for Life—an organization based out of Newtown, PA that has fundraised more than $500,000 for pancreatic cancer at the ACC—on Facebook and decided to join the group’s main event, a dragon boat race down the Schuylkill River. She first raced with the group in 2016, and is thankful she joined such a supportive community.
“A Love for Life has been a great experience, and the group’s founder, Christine Edmonds, is an amazing individual,” Anne Marie shared. “Her passion and dedication attracts so many incredible people to the cause of beating pancreatic cancer. Every time you turn around there are more people and another dragon boat team.”
Anne Marie has also run in several 5Ks over the last four years—doing anything she can to raise money to help. The Abramson Cancer Center is grateful to have community partners like Anne Marie and A Love for Life, who come together in the face of adversity to support each other as well as cancer research—giving hope to future patients and families.
To learn more about pancreatic cancer research, contact Andrew Bellet at abellet@upenn.edu or (215) 573-0548.