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'I'm so fricking lucky': Prognosis usually grim for pancreatic cancer patients

On the heels of Alex Trebek's announcement, a Tampa Bay-area man is thankful to survive four bouts of pancreatic cancer. Trebek says he's ready to fight.

TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — It's not an easy fight.

"I think this is a death sentence for a lot of people," said Danny Rowland, who has survived four re-occurrences of pancreatic cancer since 2011.

"I mean, I'm so fricking lucky."

Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of any cancer at just about 7 percent.

RELATED: 'Jeopardy!' host Alex Trebek has stage 4 pancreatic cancer

The risk of pancreatic cancer only increases with age, according to the Mayo Clinic, and it can spread extremely quickly.

"Once it goes stage 4, it grows ridiculously fast and then spreads like a son of a b****," Rowland said candidly, speaking from firsthand experience.

“I mean, it’s a rapid, rapid growth."

Pancreatic cancer begins in tissue within the organ. Early warning signs can include diabetes or, in Rowland's case, jaundice.

Rowland says his first re-occurrence happened about six months after finishing chemo for his initial diagnosis. Roughly six months after that, it showed up again, on his liver.

Things went quiet for about three years until it showed up again for the fourth time. 

"Whoever expects to be sitting down in front of a doctor saying you’ve got less than two years to live," Rowland said, who has been cancer-free, once more, since last summer.

While early intervention is key, in pancreatic cancer it's nearly impossible.

RELATED: Pancreatic cancer symptoms and signs

Symptoms are often vague and associated with other conditions. Preventive screening—like a mammogram for catching breast cancer or a colonoscopy or stool test or detecting colon cancer—don't exist.

“People don’t know that pancreatic cancer, it kills more people in Florida than breast cancer—it’s number-two in Florida," Rowland said.

Nationwide, pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death, according to the American Cancer Society.

It's why Rowland's color is now proudly purple. He wears it for pancreatic cancer awareness from head to toe, literally, sporting a purple cowboy hat and painted toenails, which he says he started painting to cover up the effects of chemo.

He's now dedicating his time to the Tampa Bay chapter of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, offering support and fighting to double the survival rate.

In response to Trebek's vow to fight his stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis, especially considering his three-year obligation to Jeopardy, Rowland smiled and offered a thumbs up.

“You know what, the majority of us are like that," he said. "I never met anyone who gave up in the chemo room."

For support and information, click here to join the Tampa Bay Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

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