Pancreatic Cancer:  A Beautiful Story of Survival
Channel: EmpoweRN
Date: 2016-11-29

When patients diagnosed with cancer are admitted to the hospital, many times we see them at their lowest. From chemotherapy and radiation treatments to surgeries and diagnostic test. It can be an emotional roller coster for not only the patient but also all of their loved ones… including their medical staff…
I remember about 2 months ago, I was feeling down. Normally I’m an extremely upbeat person. However, working on the oncology unit was taking it’s tole on me. I realized, that I was mistakingly focusing on some of the patients who didn’t make it. Unfortunately, many of the patients who recover fully do not make their ways back in the the hospital. I can’t blame, the hospital would not be high on my list also. 
Recently, I attended a fundraising event with my husband and I heard a beautiful dynamic speaker by the name of Camille. Don’t tell anyone, but I actually cried while she was talking…
By the time she finished speaking, I knew I had to ask her to share her story on my channel. I waited for 2 hours to talk with her and after the crowds had died down, she graciously accepted my offer.
Spending time with Camille was like taking a breath of fresh air. Imagine walking into someones home for an interview and a bubbly 60 year old greets you with tons of energy, gorgeous hair and a wholesome outlook and love for life. This is who Camlile is, just a loving bundle of joy - I left her house inspired and grateful. I hope you feel the same way after listening to her story.
Camille was given one of the worst diagnosis… Had I been reading her chart, I unfortunately would have not spent too much time with it… I have never met anyone that survived Pancreatic Cancer, much less; Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer with metastasis aka METS. The first doctor she went to told her that she that with stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer with spots on in her lungs, liver and kidneys; there was nothing they could do and she was to go home and prepare to die.
However, one thing that she strongly recommends is to get a second opinion, which is what she did. She went to University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer center. She found a doctor that believed in her and she trusted him.
She will be the first to tell you that her story is not the norm and oftentimes told me how it hurts her to know that many others have had the same diagnosis and not the same outcome. However, her main focus is to share that no matter how bad things seem, you can always and MUST always have hope. Thankfully Camille is not alone these days. Thanks to advanced research and better treatment options. The bike ride event that Camille and I speak about in the video is a Fundraising event. Events like these help organizations raise money to continue research and be positioned to deliver specialized treatment options. Each persons cancer is different and events like these help us do a small part to help ensure much needed progress. 
I hope you decide to join us. Please read bike ride information below and email me with any questions:
Caroline@EmpoweRN.com
See you soon!
xoxo
~Caroline


Fundraising Bike Ride Information:

Please join Camille and I February , 11th 2017 for the fundraising bike ride. If you click on the link below scroll down to a button that says “Join My Team.”
After you click on the button, you will be taken to another page that gives you multiple options on different fundraising activities. Camille and I will be doing the 14 mile bike ride. 
Don’t worry, it is not a race and as long as you have a decent bike you probably do not have to prepare much for it. At least I didn’t lol.
The minimum fundraising donation for the bike ride is $250 - however you can reserve your spot for $150 and raise the rest later if you would like.  
All proceeds will be donated to the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer  which is South Florida's leader in cancer diagnosis and provides state-of-the-art treatment as well as follow-up care. 
They also have an advanced research department, which is vital to discovering better treatment options, which in turn will help us save lives.
Here is what I did:
I purchased the $150 bike ride fee. Then, I purchased two of the $50 Counting Crows concert tickets. I went last year and it was a lot of fun, so I think it is worth the money anyways. Then, just to start my page I paid an additional $10, this is not necessary though. 
Since I did this last year I know how much fun it is going to be, so I hope you decide to join Camille and I!
https://fundraisers.hakuapp.com/teams/team-hurricanes-hurricane-camille
By the way, if you only want to donate… every single dollar helps! No donation is too small.
Thank you for watching and thank you Camille for sharing your beautiful energy and message of hope to us all.
Happy Holidays,
~Caroline