Pancreatic Cancer | 
Video Juli McDonald 11/19/2010 
It`s the fourth leading cancer killer in the United States, and receives less than 2% of the National Cancer Institute`s annual research funding. Pancreatic cancer is a disease that sneaks up on its victims and leaves them with bleak prognoses. the cancer is usually detected in the late stages, so they`re aren`t many people living with it, and it doesn`t always get a lot of attention.His family calls him the Miracle Man. Ernie Miller shouldn`t be here today but more than two years after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis and surgery, he`s a survivor.”It developed over a couple of years. I just didn`t feel good. I knew something was wrong. I had difficulty eating and retaining and digesting anything I ate. They say there really are no symptoms for pancreatic cancer,” says Miller.Ernie underwent a whipple procedure, which reconstructed his stomach and intestines. it took him about a year to recover, and he will continue to take chemo medication orally.”Caregiving is one of the most difficult jobs a person can have but it`s also one of the most rewarding jobs,” says Ernie`s wife, Bobbi.Ernie`s family hopes for awareness of the disease to grow. There`s no way to catch it early like with a mammogram or colonoscopy.”We were told that most people who are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer die within a year just because there is no early detection or early screening,” says Ernie`s daughter, Michelle.”Pancreatic cancer is where breast cancer was 40 years ago, as far as advances. They`re just not happening,” says Bobbi.Ernie`s grandson Drew says the illness brought their family closer together.”When he started to develop the cancer, he got more into his life and he wanted me to know it and know him and know his past,” Drew says.Ernie`s family continues to see each day as a gift. He still has some weight and strength to regain, but hopes next summer he`ll be back on the golf course with his grandson.if you`re interested in learning more, and getting involved in the fight against pancreatic cancer, visit PanCan.org
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