Cancer survivor offers inspiration to others
Diana Gibbs humorously refers to herself as a “miracle child,” living — and thriving — 13 years after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of cancer with typically very low survival rates. The miracle began in 2001 when Gibbs went in for gallbladder surgery and doctors found a 2-centimeter mass on her pancreas. “It was an itty-bitty thing, so doctors were able to resect the tumor and all the edges around it, treating it like a lumpectomy,” said Gibbs. “That gallbladder attack saved my life.” Gibbs is a longtime supporter of Relay for Life, and plans to participate this Friday evening to cheer on her fellow survivors. She’s never missed a race, although she reports last year’s severe weather sent her, along with many others, scurrying from the Black Hawk Middle School track and field to Holy Rosary to hunker down under shelter. “Last year was scary for a while,” she said. This year’s Relay for Life event will start at 6 p.m. at Black Hawk Middle School and conclude at 1 a.m. Early detection of pancreatic cancer in situations like Gibbs is key to long-term survival against the disease. Often symptoms don’t present themselves until the cancer is advanced, and at the point, the situation is much more dire, requiring chemo and/or radiation along with Whipple surgery if possible. Gibbs has never had to have chemo or radiation, but doctors closely monitor her condition, at first doing X-rays every three months. “I’ve graduated to having a CAT scan once a year, and to seeing my oncologist once a year,” said Gibbs, who is an OB-GYN nurse practitioner. The next big graduation milestone is going to every two years for her CAT scan. In a lot of cases, being cancer-free for five years is a sigh of relief for patients, a positive trend that bodes well for the cancer not returning. With pancreatic cancer, Gibbs says, doctors and patients must stay vigilant for the long-haul. “At 20 years after detection, I still won’t be safe,” she reports. ‘A Gift’ “I really look at this disease as a gift, because it’s made me see how precious life is, and made me more determined to help others.” Gibbs has been in the nursing field since graduating in 1977 from DePaul School of Nursing. She worked in labor and delivery at Christian Hospital Northwest for 18 years, returning to UMSL to get her nurse practitioner’s license in 1994. She currently practices at Warrenton’s private NECAC office, shuttling between days there and others at NECAC offices in O’Fallon and Bowling Green. She also works at a women’s health clinic in St. Clair. At all four clinics, she helps women with family planning, birth control, breast cancer detection and other health issues. “I love my job and the people I work for and with,” Gibbs says, noting that a lot of what she does is teach women about their health. “NECAC is an amazing resource for people and communities like ours,” she explained. “We’ve helped so many who are uninsured get health and other services they wouldn’t otherwise be able to receive, and now we even have an ACA (Affordable Care Act) navigator who can help people sign up for health insurance.” Helping Others She credits a former employer who paid for her to go back and get her nurse practitioner education and certification and held her job for her when she was sick. She also credits her husband who took over as “Mr. Mom” with their three children, including an 18-month-old, while she studied and went to class at night. Gibbs said even with young children pleading for her attention at the time, she was determined to gut it out for a year to make a better life for her family. “I thought, ‘This is an opportunity I can’t pass up for myself and my family,’ ” Gibbs exclaimed. “I won’t say the cancer has been easy,” said Gibbs, recalling that the four-month recovery time following surgery that was very rough. “I feel so lucky to be in a place where I can help others.” As Gibbs talked inside NECAC offices on Main Street in Warrenton, rain fell on purple Relay for Life ribbons posted along the street and giant purple ribbons she and other staff painted on NECAC’s front windows. “Purple is my color,” she said, smiling. “It’s the color for pancreatic cancer.”
A gall bladder attack likely saved Diana Gibbs. Doctors found a small mass on her pancreas when she went in for gall bladder surgery. She remains cancer free 13 years later. Jeanine Davis photo.
