Allison Lippman Kuban
Early-Onset Pancreatic Cancer

The Diagnosis
31-year-old Lippman Kuban initially thought the pain on her left side was stress. Her doctor did too—even after a CT scan—and prescribed Prozac. When the pain persisted, she went to a gastroenterologist, who scheduled her for a colonoscopy the following week. Lippman Kuban wouldn't make it till then—she ended up in the ER and was diagnosed with Stage IV acinar cell carcinoma. By then, it had metastasized to her liver and lymph nodes.

The Hard Part
"I was sick nine out of 10 days of chemo, and was withering away," says Lippman Kuban, pictured here with her husband, Eric. "I lost my hair, lost the spark in my eye and all my physical strength. I couldn’t even pick up my four-year-old nephew any longer, which completely broke my heart."

The Hopeful Part
Lippman Kuban was approved for a clinical trial, which shrunk her tumors by nearly 40 percent—with minimal side effects. "I can pick up my nephew," she says. "My life has hope now, and I have gained strength by telling my story and hopefully giving hope to other people out there. Like my doctor told me, you just have to take everything one exit at a time."

Errol D. Toulon, Jr.
Previous Cancer Diagnosis

The Diagnosis
Six years after being treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Toulon was diagnosed again, this time with pancreatic cancer. "It was a gut punch," he recalls. "I was terrified I couldn’t beat cancer a second time. My maternal grandmother had died years earlier from pancreatic cancer, which heightened my panic even more."

The Hard Part
Toulon's recovery was riddled with complications. He developed sclerosing cholangitis. A stent had to be fixed, which resulted in infections and a collapsed lung. A few years later, he was rushed to the ER after suffering from a cardiac tamponade (fluid buildup around the heart). "My situation was so dire that a priest administered last rites," he says. "Again, I persevered."

The Hopeful Part
"One day while I was recovering from my Whipple surgery, I looked out my window and prayed that if I were given the opportunity, I’d do something great with my life and continue to live a life of purpose," says Toulon, who, yes, lived up to that promise. In 2017, he was elected the first African American Sheriff of Suffolk County, New York, a position he still holds today.

Randi C. Ervin
Prediabetic

The Diagnosis
When Ervin first noticed new symptoms—nausea, digestive issues, itchy skin—she didn't think much of it. Perhaps it was allergies or a lack of sleep. The thirty-something-year-old was also prediabetic and "eating horribly and enjoying happy hours a couple of times a week," she explains. "I just assumed I was going to be type 2 diabetic." After she told her doctor—and after a series of scans, tests and procedures—Ervin discovered she actually had pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer, and had to have her spleen, pancreas, gall bladder and a part of her intestines removed.

The Hard Part
Without a pancreas, Ervin now relies on insulin shots and has to take the enzyme ZenPep with her meals. She also gets monthly octreotide injections and yearly PET scans. "It's overwhelming," she says. "I've learned to better manage my mental health [as a result]." If she's going to the doctor for her octreotide, for instance, she has her favorite tea in the morning, does breathwork during the treatment and visits a comic-book store or plant shop afterwards. "Do things that keep you happy and steady," she advises.

The Hopeful Part
“You have to own your healthcare journey. There's strength in being very intentional,” says Ervin. “I have a lot more confidence now because you have to fight and that carries over to all aspects of my life.”