This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Neighbor News

A Rare Pancreatic Cancer Survivor

8 Days After a Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis, This Man Had Surgery That's Kept Him Cancer Free for 5 Years

Joseph Mele spent a year with digestive problems, feeling bloated, weak and listless, with no appetite.

But it only took eight days after his pancreatic cancer diagnosis to get the life-saving surgery that has kept him cancer-free for five years.

The surgery has helped Mele defy the odds. According to the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts and Figures 2022, the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is 11%. And that’s actually an improvement – an increase of five percentage points over the last decade.

Find out what's happening in Waterfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Read the rest of Joe's compelling story here.

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?