Senior Reporter
ann-lisa.paul@guardian.co.tt
Pancreatic cancer can be difficult to detect, and early diagnosis and treatment can save lives.
International experts estimate that by 2030, pancreatic cancer could become the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.
Yesterday, as she hosted a luncheon for survivors and relatives of people who had died from pancreatic cancer, Natalie Sabga urged the public not to ignore possible symptoms and to seek medical attention early.
Sabga said people often do not develop symptoms until the disease has reached an advanced stage. She also stressed that lifestyle changes could make a difference.
The luncheon, which Sabga described as a family reunion, was held at the House of Chan in Newtown, Port-of-Spain. She said she was concerned about developments locally and internationally.
“The trends right now in pancreatic cancer are quite alarming. They are noticing a trend in younger people getting pancreatic cancer. In the olden days, it was over 55 you would get, like, more disease symptoms,” she said.
“However, now with the change in lifestyle, the change in environmental hazards, obesity…younger people are now showing up with pancreatic cancer. In 2030, it is slated to be the second-leading cause of death from cancer in the US alone. So right now, it is about number four or five, but in 2030, they expect it to be number two.”
Sabga founded the John E. Sabga Foundation in 2017, a year after her husband died from pancreatic cancer. After travelling in search of a cure, she returned home determined to raise awareness and educate the public about the disease.
She urged people to seek medical advice if they experienced symptoms that may include itchy skin, dark urine, newly diagnosed diabetes—particularly after age 50—unexplained or sudden weight loss, nausea, jaundice, or back or abdominal pain.
Sabga said the personal toll of her husband’s illness had motivated her to support other families facing the disease.
“It became a labour of love for me because many families would call upon our foundation and I would guide them through their journeys. And, as you know, it is a very emotionally distressing disease and time for families. So, you know, we became their support system. We also help them navigate the system and advise them,” she said.
She said the foundation sometimes helped families obtain medical scans because of long waiting times in the public health system. With pancreatic cancer, she warned, time was critical.
“You have to start learning about your own body,” she said. “Once you start to feel different, you have to be aware something might be wrong.”
Sabga also urged people with a family history of pancreatic cancer to seek medical advice and get checked as early as possible.
She encouraged the public to adopt the foundation’s tagline: “Just Cure It!”
At the luncheon, Sabga gently encouraged survivor Omris Pierre to share her story, hoping it would help others who might be afraid to find out whether they had the disease.
Pierre, 84, said her father, younger sister and brother had all died from pancreatic cancer, at ages 84, 70-plus and 65, respectively. She was diagnosed six years ago.
Pierre said early detection and treatment, along with lifestyle changes, had allowed her to continue living with minimal disruption.
“I came through. I did the surgery and a few sessions of chemo and I was good after,” she said.
Following her most recent scan, Pierre said, she was given a clean bill of health.
She urged others not to ignore possible symptoms.
“If you are getting pains, especially under your ribs and so on, you check the doctor,” she said.
Pierre said she initially dismissed the mild pain because she felt well. Before visiting a doctor, however, she noticed her urine had changed colour and her eyes had begun to look jaundiced.
“Before I went to the doctor, I saw the change in my urine and it was looking yellow. And then my eyes started to look like jaundice, so I checked the doctor and when they did tests, they saw that I had it.”
