Keith

 

My Story is about Keith Seidel

This event took place from 11/20/2014 to 11/07/2025

The Discovery

I woke up in the middle of the night with sharp back pain Went to the hospital and had several tests over 4 days. The last test was an MRI with contrast. That’s when the tumor showed itself.

This is My Story

I am a survivor of pancreatic cancer for 11 years now. When it started out, I knew nobody that had pancreatic cancer yet. I also knew that it was not going to beat me, and that attitude with my family and friends is what got me through.
I went through 12 rounds of chemo over 10 months. There was hospital visits in between that would push it back some, but it was thankfully mostly consistent.
I was stage four and I had spots on my liver and intestine, but they pretty much disappeared within the first several visits. I CA-19 started at 38,000 and cut in half with each chemo session. After the 12th chemo and so many images, my oncologist, Dr. DaCosta, thought we should stop the chemo and proceed for the Whipple.
Two months later I went for the Whipple procedure, that was 10 hours long, and a complete success. The tomb was sent to pathology and they said it was dead. Over the next nine years all my scans were negative, but my liver functions were hurting.
I thought my battle was over, but now my liver was dying from the cancer and all the chemo. I may not have been a prime candidate, but all my doctors fought for me to be on a Liver Transplant list.
In June 2023, I received my Liver Transplant. It had its complications but now I am the healthiest. I’ve been in over 12 years. My blood work numbers are probably better than most of yours. Lol.
Now I’m retired and send out positivity to those who need it.
“ I am not afraid of cancer because I know it can be beat”

The Impact of Time

Looking back, I can see changes that I was going through before finding out about my pancreatic cancer. Maybe it would have been an easier and quicker process if I knew then. Early detection makes a big difference.