Larissa



My Story is about My parents – David and Linda True

This event took place from 09/01/2018 to 11/01/2026

The Discovery

I have the unfortunate conidence of losing both of my parents to pancreatic cancer within 5 years of each other. My dad died on December 4, 2018 and my mom died on Nov 1, 2023, both from pancreatic cancer. My dad's was discovered as a result of misdiagnosed kidnesy stones and gall bladder symptoms. He was diagnosed on Sept 1 2018 at Stage 4b. Unfortunately his medical team was way too optimistic and honestly just ignorant with the whole thing. He didn't stand a chance. He had 4 rounds of 5-FU chemo, which might have killed him faster than the cancer did.
Fastforward to 2022, when my mom had some bowel changes and was on high alert because she had lost her husband of 50 years only 5 years prior to the same cancer so she recognized the symptoms. She was diagnosed at Stage 2b.

This is My Story

Losing both of your parents to pancreatic cancer within 5 years of each other is haunting. I know y'all get it. I will never get over losing both of them to the same terrible cancer, and also the fear I have every day of getting diagnosed myself. Or my brother. I hate cancer. It stole both of my parents from me.

The Impact of Time

The "gift" of time was incredibly evident with my mom. My dad was diagnosed on Sept 1 2018, and he was dead on Dec 4 2018. My mom was disagnosed July 18 2022 and died November 1 2023. We had 16 beautiful months with my mom. And not all of them were fighting the cancer…some of those months were peaceful.
In a really terrible story of irony, we got 16 months with my mom post diagnosis because she knew the signs. Because she had already lived it with her husband, my Dad.
I remember waking up one morning, months after my mom passed…I was in complete distress and asked my husband if we had done everything ew could have possible done. He reassured me that we did everything. We got 16 months with my Ma. We didn't even get 90 days with my dad.