A cancer diagnosis can be a challenge, both mentally and physically. After hearing the word “cancer,” one patient’s journey led her to Lutheran Hospital and fellowship-trained surgical oncologist, Neal Agee, MD. Dr. Agee performed his 100th Whipple procedure with Lutheran Health Network on this patient, giving her a strong advantage in her fight with this disease.
Robin Eagleson’s story began with a possible cancer diagnosis, which led to an internet search for a surgical oncologist offering complete cancer care paired with the convenience of being close to home. Shortly into her search, the Ohio resident discovered Lutheran Hospital’s surgical oncologist, Neal Agee, MD, and after doing some research, knew this was her answer. “I truly believe I was led to Dr. Agee and his staff,” she stated. “This was right where I needed to be at this time.”
Pancreatic cancer can be a quiet, inconspicuous form of the disease, generally disguising symptoms in its earliest stages to model other conditions. According to the American Cancer Society, pancreatic cancer diagnoses are on the rise and have recently surpassed breast cancer cases, but there is an answer for patients faced with this difficult diagnosis – right in Fort Wayne.
An option for some patients who have been impacted by a possible pancreatic cancer diagnosis is the Whipple procedure. This complex operation removes the head of the pancreas, the first part of the small intestine, the gallbladder and the bile duct and can often result in the return to a state of normalcy for patients who undergo the procedure. Eagleson not only underwent this extensive surgery, she was also Dr. Agee’s 100th Whipple procedure patient with Lutheran Health Network; a milestone which speaks volumes to the complexity of the operation itself and the comprehensive cancer care offered by a team of board-certified specialists at Lutheran Hospital.
“The knowledge that the tumor was gone was such a relief,” she stated. “Had he not found it when he did, I might be sharing a different story right now.”
After undergoing the Whipple procedure, Eagleson and her family know they are headed in the right direction. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without Dr. Agee’s in-depth knowledge; his entire team was everything you could ever ask for and I could not praise them enough,” she stated. To this day, not only has she enjoyed the feeling of normalcy that has resulted from the surgery, she is also feeling mentally and physically great – and people are taking notice.
“It was after I received my diagnosis, the staff told me, we are family, we will face this together and will get through it someday, somehow – hearing that gave me everything I needed for this fight.”
The “Positively LHN” platform serves to provide mission stories and patient testimonials for each facility in the network. For more stories like this one, visit www.lutheranhealth.net/positively-lhn.
