Catherine Dimino is a pancreatic cancer survivor who has been inspired by her experience to help others.
At only 29 years old, Dimino was shocked to learn that she had developed cancer, according to an American Cancer Society news release. She spent six months between her parents' home and the hospital to receive tests, scans and treatments, and doctors discovered that she has a bile duct obstruction, which required her to have stints put in. Dimino developed jaundiced skin and she was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis.
Dimino's doctors tried to insert another stent but it was unsuccessful, the release said. She then had a Whipple procedure to remove part of the pancreas and some of the nearby organs. After the procedure, the doctor found a tumor that he was sure was cancer.
“I was devastated, terrified, scared, and upset,” Dimino said in the release. “To me, pancreatic cancer was a death sentence.”
She is one month into chemotherapy treatment, and a scan shows she has no cancer left in her pancreas. In the scan, her liver showed two small spots but they may or may not be cancer.
“If those are gone, wonderful,” she said in the release. “Things are starting to look up a little bit for me. I’m halfway through my treatment.”
Currently, Dimino suffers from nausea and fatigue as a result of the chemotherapy, but she is hopeful and thankful for her family's support, the release said.
Dimino said that after her cancer treatment, she wants to work to inspire those around her to fight the disease.
