Dying GV man wants to leave a legacy

Rick Williams learned March 10 that he is going to die soon.

Williams, 57, has pancreatic cancer, a disease where the signs and symptoms often don’t occur until it has metastasized beyond the pancreas to other areas of the body. Williams was told his cancer is Stage 4, near the end.

“I was informed that at this stage it kills a very high percentage of its victims within the first two years of being diagnosed,” Williams said. “My life as I knew it changed from those words.”

According to the American Cancer Society, 24 percent survive at least one year after the cancer is detected; that drops to five percent after five years.

Williams is no stranger to the cancer. In 2004, he lost a brother-in-law to the disease and in September, his sister-in-law succumbed to cancer.

A fan of Patrick Swayze and Farrah Fawcett, Williams said that watching them fight their battles makes it hard not to realize the magnitude cancer has on many people in many ways.

“I just never thought it would happen to me,” he said. “I have always been physically fit and I don’t think I’ve missed more than two days of work in the last 40 years.”

Getting help

It was stomach discomfort that later turned painful that drove Williams to seek medical help. He said he thought it was his gall bladder.

“If my doctor had not been persistent, they would not have found the cancer when they did,” he said. “Even though it’s hard to diagnose and they found it, it was already too late.”

Willams, who moved to Green Valley with his wife, Belinda, four years ago, had a career in construction. He can no longer work, has lost 60 pounds and tires easily.

After 25 treatments of radiation, he is on his 32nd cycle of chemotherapy. Other palliative treatments for pain allow him to tolerate some days better than others.

Williams began researching pancreatic cancer and said time and time again he read the same words: early detection is infrequent, and when it is diagnosed, the disease has usually progressed to dangerous levels.

“I became frustrated knowing this,” he said. “It’s over for me but I’m not gone yet, so I decided to do something. I just didn’t want to die without trying.”

Doing something

He discovered dozens of fund-raising organizations for other cancers.

“Everywhere you look, in retail stores, in ads in magazines and on TV, you see pink,” he said. “The pink ribbons are a constant reminder that the national breast cancer organizations have done a fantastic job in creating awareness. I was hoping to find help with pancreatic cancer.”

He eventually hit on the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Research. Marc A.

Lustgarten, a principal architect of Cablevision’s growth and chairman of its Madison Square Garden subsidiary, died in 1999 at age 52 of pancreatic cancer. The foundation was formed to advance the scientific and medical research related to the diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of the disease.

“It occurred to me that I could organize my own walk with the help of Lustgarten,” Willams said. “I can bring awareness to the cause in the hopes that more money can be raised for research.”

Wiliams also learned that Cablevision underwrites all Lustgarten’s administrative costs ensuring that 100 percent of every donation goes directly to pancreatic cancer research.

“Rick reached out to us and we knew we could help,” said Kerri Kaplan, Lustgarten Foundation CEO. “His Arizona walk not only helps raise money for research, it also raises awareness of the disease and may encourage others to sponsor their own walks.”

The Rick Williams Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk is scheduled for Feb. 27 at La Posada.

Planning to participate in Rick’s walk-a-thon in February is his doctor, Bruce W. Porterfield, with Arizona Oncology in Green Valley. Porterfield, too, has lost a family member to pancreatic cancer.

“Early detection is the issue but that’s not how it usually happens with pancreatic cancer,” Porterfield said. “Research continues but it is a long and costly process. In the meantime, our goal with our patients is to reduce the severity of the disease and improve their quality of life.”

Williams said he is also walking for his seven grandchildren.

“I’ve been getting things in order to make it easier for Belinda, but who knows what the future is with the health of anyone,” he said.

So many friends and family have banned together to help organize and back Rick’s walk.

“With early detection we can save lives, so we hope to raise a lot of money for the Lustgarten Foundation,” Belinda added. “We are hoping for at least 200 or more walkers.”

Rick said he needs to leave “something positive” behind.

“I don’t feel angry at my situation. I’m just thankful for everyone who is helping me now,” he said. “Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave and impossible to forget.”

rford@gvnews.com

IF YOU GO

What: Rick Williams Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk (rain or shine)

When: Feb. 27; registration 8 a.m., first 200 get t-shirts; 5K run starts 9 a.m., walk starts 9:30 a.m.

Where: La Posada, 350 E. Morningside Road, Green Valley

Register: Online at www.lustgarten.org; no fees; all donations accepted and go to research.

Details: All routes are handicap- and stroller-accessible. Dogs are permitted at the park on a leash. Pancreatic Cancer Memorial Wall with photos on display at walk. Send photos (preferably copies) to Rick Williams, c/o general delivery, Green Valley, AZ. 85622; all photos will be property of Rick Williams Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk.

Evening dance fund-raiser

7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Feb. 27 at Elk’s Lodge #2592, 2951 S. Camino Mercado, Green Valley

50-50 drawing; donation at the door.

Call Belinda Williams at 520-780-6015 or e-mail: bsj298@msn.com for information.

What is pancreatic cancer?

According to Mayoclinic.com, pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers. Even with aggressive treatment, the prognosis is poor. Various factors stack the odds against successful pancreatic cancer treatment.

Early detection is uncommon. Few pancreatic cancers are found in the early stages of the disease, when the cancerous cells can be surgically removed. Signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer — such as pain in the upper abdomen, yellow skin and eyes, and weight loss — don’t typically occur until the disease is advanced.

Pancreatic cancer often spreads to nearby organs — including the liver, gallbladder and intestines — early in the course of the disease.

Recurrence is likely. Even after surgical removal, pancreatic cancer often recurs.

In addition, pancreatic cancer tends to be relatively resistant to many chemotherapy drugs. However, several newer drugs show promise in increasing the response rate to pancreatic cancer treatment.