Pancreatic Cancer Patient Profile: Marissa Smith
Marissa Smith’s pancreatic cancer journey is anything but typical. For starters, she was 38 years old and working as a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse when she was diagnosed. She then found out that her cancer involved a neuroendocrine tumor on her pancreas, which is unusual when adenocarcinoma is more common with the pancreas. But even if her story is unusual, Marissa is happy to share her cancer story in case others can benefit from what she learned during her journey.
When Marissa reflects about the beginning of her cancer story, the first symptom she experienced was a sour stomach. “Nothing was helping. I decided to eat, and that made me feel worse. I had pain in my upper abdomen, chills, and sweating. My friends who were nurse practitioners thought that my symptoms sounded like gallstones.” Married with two young children, she and her husband didn’t have any family who lived in their area, so all four of them had to go to the Emergency Room. They were fortunate to have friends who could take their kids to stay with them for the night.
Marissa’s journey progressed pretty rapidly from there. She received an ultrasound, a CT scan, and then was informed there was a tumor with well-defined edges on her pancreas. The community hospital then sent her to a hospital in the city to get a biopsy of the tumor. A week later, she met with the surgical oncologist to find out the type of tumor and her treatment plan. “It was a golf ball-sized pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor. He said it was very slow-growing and that I’d probably had it for a long period of time. So I might have passed a gallstone, and it’s quite likely that my tumor was found out of sheer luck.” Her doctor suggested the Whipple procedure to remove the head of her pancreas, part of her stomach, part of her small bowel, gallbladder, and bile duct. She also received a PET scan prior to surgery to confirm there weren’t any additional tumors.
Following Marissa’s surgery, her recovery also wasn’t typical. “I had what we call ‘nurse curse,’ which is every complication that’s imaginable. My stomach was getting very bloated, and I was in pain. Pancreatic fluid was leaking into my abdomen.” She had multiple scans and tests and two procedures where they removed the fluid from her abdomen and then analyzed the fluid. Her hemoglobin level dropped, her care team had to reinstall a tube, and she experienced a gastrointestinal (GI) bleed. After the GI bleed, Marissa received a blood transfusion, and her team later informed her that they almost had to put her in the intensive care unit. “Then when I was eating after I got home, and my nurse practitioner friend could see that my food was coming back out of my drain that they put in. The connection between the stomach and my small bowel was leaking.” Her care team wanted to pull her drain out and send her home, but Marissa insisted on staying for observation for 24 hours with all the complications that she’d already experienced.
Reflecting back on her recovery, Marissa says, “I feel I was fortunate to be in good physical condition just prior to my diagnosis. I lost a lot of muscle mass while I was in the hospital, but I would have had a more difficult time if I had been in worse physical condition before my diagnosis.”
Marissa got involved with patient advocacy groups after she completed treatment and returned to work. She didn’t do online research after her diagnosis, since her doctor was pretty straightforward with her treatment plan. The COVID-19 pandemic began right after she returned to work, so unfortunately there were no in-person support groups.
Throughout the process, there were many lessons learned that she wants to share. “Educating yourself is so important. Trust your doctors. Understand what they’re saying or ask questions if you don’t understand. I think your outlook is very important. Understand what your goals are for your life and how you want to live your life.” Patients and their loved ones need to weigh the different factors and goals for during and after treatment. Some patients might choose quality over quantity in their cancer journey, and it’s a personal decision for each person.
Marissa was in awe of her husband and kids. “My kids have been amazing. My team thought I’d be in the hospital for a week for treatment, but it ended up being a month. I went in before Thanksgiving and didn’t come home until just before Christmas.” She returned to work in February, and then the COVID-19 pandemic started. “Our kids were in preschool and 1st grade at that time. That was a horrible year for everyone, but our kids were just incredible. My family is awesome.” At the time, Marissa was in a doctoral program, working a weekend night shift, and hybrid homeschooling our kids. In early 2021, she took a leave of absence from school, went down to two 12-hour night shifts, and was with their kids for their remote school time in the hybrid model. “I ended up working as a substitute nurse in our school district when we switched back to full in-person learning, and I’m now working as a nurse in our home district with our oldest child in my building. I love it, but I took a 50 percent pay cut moving from the hospital to a public school, but my work-life balance is worth it.” She and her family especially enjoy hiking and the outdoors at Adirondack State Park and Lake Placid. They’ve simplified their work lives to enjoy more time with their kids.
Marissa has some other advice for patients and loved ones, “I know it’s hard for some people to ask for help, but ask for help when you need it.” Her family had a meal train that was delivered to a cooler on their front porch so that friends could leave food without intruding at all. Friends took their kids to their activities. Marissa saw a therapist and is still going to process all her feelings about her cancer experience.
Even though going through cancer was difficult, Marissa is so grateful for her family and friends who supported her through everything. She also stresses the importance of self-advocacy. “It’s your body, and you want to make sure you understand what the specialists are telling you. Make sure that you’re making an educated decision for yourself and that you have all the information you need to make the right decision for you and your family.”
