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A Georgia mother of two who defeated stage 4 pancreatic cancer wrote a letter to Alex Trebek to make sure it's possible to survive.
Elise Roth Tedeschi, 50, of Smyrna, had only nine months to live when she was diagnosed with the disease in January 2012.
Pancreatic cancer is notoriously fatal because its symptoms are vague and appear only late, when the cancer has spread to now, which makes it more difficult to treat.
After 11 months of aggressive treatment including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, Tedeschi was declared without cancer.
Last week, Trebek, the 78-year-old Jeopardy host, revealed that he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer and that the prognosis was "not very encouraging."
Only three days later, Tedeschi wrote the letter on Daily Meal, stating that she wanted to give the game show host the hope that advanced cancer does not necessarily mean cancer in the terminal phase.
Elise Roth Tedeschi, 50 years old (left and right), from Smyrna, Georgia, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2012. The mother of two had nine months to live at the time.
An open letter that she wrote to Jeopardy! Facilitator Alex Trebek, who was also diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, became viral. On the photo: Trebek at the Daytime Emmy Awards in April 2017
Tedeschi told DailyMail.com that she had started having back pain in 2011. She had tried epidurals, muscle relaxants and acupuncture, but nothing worked.
Finally, she went to see a specialist in internal medicine who performed a scan that showed a large mass on her pancreas.
She went to the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, where tests revealed that she had advanced pancreatic cancer. This had spread to his liver and lungs.
Pancreatic cancer is caused by the abnormal and uncontrolled growth of pancreatic cells, a large gland of the digestive system.
It usually does not show any symptoms at first. Sufferers tend to develop signs, such as back pain and jaundice, when it has spread to other organs.
According to the American Cancer Society, about 56,000 people will be diagnosed in the United States in 2019 and about 45,000 will die from it.
Less than seven percent of patients survive five years, which means that pancreatic cancer has one of the worst survival rates of all common cancers.
"The initial surgery is not possible because it is too advanced, so chemotherapy is the best option," said Dr. Brian Wolpin, director of the Center for Gastrointestinal Cancer, at the Institute of Cancer Dana-Farber from Boston, Mass., To DailyMail.com.
Tedeschi said that despite the bad chances she had – only nine months to live – she was determined to fight.
"The decision to fight was easy, because it was impossible for me to let my little boys and no one else get married with my husband!" she wrote.
Tests have shown that she carried the BRCA2 gene, known to cause breast cancer, and that she needed aggressive treatment.
Tedeschi has received an aggressive treatment plan that includes 12 cycles of chemotherapy, 25 cycles of radiotherapy with a 24-hour chemotherapy pump and surgery. Pictured: Tedeschi with her husband and two sons
After 11 months of treatment, Tedeschi was declared without cancer. Pictured: Tedeschi, second from left, with husband and two sons
"People with this gene respond very well to chemotherapy," said Dr. Dae Won Kim, an oncologist at the Moffitt Cancer Center, at DailyMail.com.
"After chemotherapy, the liver tumor has almost disappeared, allowing surgery. But it's really an exceptional case.
Tedeschi wrote that she had undergone 12 cycles of chemotherapy, 25 x-rays with a 24-hour chemotherapy pump and surgery.
The procedure, conducted in November 2012, was subjected to a minimally invasive procedure called NanoKnife, which provides high voltage electrical impulses to the tumor.
"This procedure is supposed to dig holes in all the cells and, basically, they die and dissolve in your body over time," she wrote on the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network's website.
Finally, Tedeschi was declared without cancer. She admits that it was sometimes difficult to maintain a positive attitude.
& # 39; You may wonder how I stayed positive. My answer was always the same: "I did not choose cancer and I did not choose to undergo this, but I have to choose my attitude. So I chose to be happy and live my life! & # 39;
& # 39; Guess what ?! I've defeated stage 4 pancreatic cancer and have been in complete remission for six and a half years.
Trebek revealed in a video message posted on Jeopardy's YouTube page! last week of his diagnosis.
She says that she has maintained a positive attitude because she "has not chosen to contract cancer … but I have to choose my attitude". In the photo: Tedeschi with his sons after his return from the hospital.
She says having had the inspiration to write the letter to Trebek to give him hope that he could conquer his diagnosis. In the photo: Tedeschi and his sons at an event for the network of action against pancreatic cancer
Trebek, 78, revealed the diagnosis in a video message posted on Jeopardy's YouTube page! last week and promised to keep fighting. In the photo: Trebek holds the award for best game show host at the Daytime Emmy Awards in April 2006
"I … wanted to prevent you from reading or hearing exaggerated or inaccurate information about my health," he told his fans.
"Normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I will fight, and I will continue to work.
"And with the love and support of my family and friends, and with the help of your prayers, I plan to beat statistics on the low survival rate for this disease.
"The truth says, I must! Because according to the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! another three years!
& # 39; So help me. Keep the faith and we will win. We are going to do it. Thank you. & # 39;
Tedeschi said he wrote a letter to give Trebek the hope of being able to beat his cancer.
"I knew from the beginning that once I heard the news, I would love to talk to her and give her a few words of encouragement," she said.
"Even when you feel that there is absolutely no hope, there is always hope."
She closed her letter: "Then Alex Trebek, will kick you the buttocks of cancer – that's no chance against you! You have that!
Dr. Wolpin, several advances have been made so that patients with stage 4 pancreatic cancer do not necessarily face a dark diagnosis.
"There are more treatments available, we are able to do it more often, and several approaches seek to customize the treatment based on the characteristics of their tumor," he said.
"There is a lot of work to be done to help patients live longer and better, and it is important that they hope things change."
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