Seven years ago, my husband began his journey with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He was told he had six months to a year to live. Thanks to the Oncology Team at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, his doctor, and Cathy Semerau, he is still here with us, and he loves being “Cappy” to our wonderful grandson.

The last few months have been rough, but we are now enjoying the calm after the storm. He spent 19 days in the hospital and had to have his spleen removed because there was pancreatic tumor involvement. His pancreas is now tumor-free. They also removed 19 lymph nodes, all of which were clear. He had a spinal tap, and his spinal fluid was also cancer-free.

He has benefited from the immunotherapy drugs Keytruda and now Opdivo. The surgery was rough, but he is doing great now. He has shown such strength and determination throughout these last few months. He will soon begin outpatient physical therapy at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Northbrook, where he will continue to grow stronger.

Today, I celebrate that he is still here and thriving. He never gave up!

A big thank you to Cathy Semerau, his nurse, and his angel. She is always taking his calls and encouraging him. When he was second-guessing whether to have the surgery, Cathy knew exactly what to say to help him make the right decision. She worked tirelessly to get the drug company to approve his medications and has monitored him on an almost daily basis for the past six years.

Thank you, Cathy, for your knowledge, comforting words, and expertise. We could not have gone through this without your guidance. You are truly an angel.