No family history. I was a little overweight but not too bad. I ran a half marathon 2 weeks before I got diagnosed.

The cancer was a Pancreatic NeuroEndocrine Tumor (PNET). Same thing that Steve Jobs died from (I think). Mine was cured (Lord willing) via Whipple procedure, he tried to cure his by eating fruit.

The symptoms may or may not have been related to the cancer. Pancreatic cancer is generally not detected until it's way too late. I had an upset stomach for a really long time. After the standard stuff the docs tried, I had an ultrasound done. That found it.

All this long winded stuff can be summed up succinctly: If you don't feel well, GO TO THE DOCTOR!!!!!!!!! I hated going to the doc. Waste of time. But, if not for the insistence of my wife, I wouldn't have kept looking for relief.

It was and to a certain point, still is, a very scary time. The one thing we didn't have to worry about was money. Delta medical paid every bill exactly as they should. LTD is basically half pay. DPMA made up basically the rest. Talk to folks in "normal" jobs. Very few have anything close to this form of disability.

The only other thing that I want my fellow pilot to know is to get some supplemental insurance. If, like me, you have 2 small kids and a stay at home mom, you need over 7 figures of life insurance. It's really cheap when you are young and healthy. Not so much when you have a history. Also, get the ALPA disability insurance. It kicks in when DPMA runs out.

Thank you for reading and letting me get this off my chest. We are very fortunate to be able to have such an office with a view. I was close to being one of those emails you get from the union that starts with: "We are saddened to report..." The only reason I'm here is because of my wife. She made me go to the doc. She also is the only reason I make it through the recovery. Mine didn't go as planned so I had to go back in the hospital 3 more times. I'm lucky to be here.

Now, off to study for 73 school!

R1