After Christmas, in January 1993, I went in the hospital for a Hemi-Colectomy - a partial removal of the colon. In my case, the tumors were at the ascending-transverse juncture. Usually, such a location tends to be asymptomatic, so finding them was partially luck, as well as the conscientiousness of my uncommonly fine doctors and a knowledge of my family history. Six and a half years later, I’m still here, and with no recurrence of colon cancer.

Despite my success with colon cancer, in July of 1995 I was diagnosed with Stage-2 pancreatic cancer, the "killer " cancer, after complaining of ulcer-like symptoms. It's called the killer cancer because only 4% of all pancreatic cancer patients live beyond five years.

I had to have immediate surgery - a Whipple, a nine-hour surgery named after the guy who came up with the idea back in the 1940s, and one of the toughest surgeries around. It alone has a mortality rate between 2 and 10 percent. So, in August 1995 I had the Whipple. It turned out very well, with me only doing nine days in-hospital recovery as opposed to the predicted 2-3 weeks. I have a voracious will to live!

Almost three years later I'm still here, once again. I will not die! That may be the reason for my success. That, and taking control of my life, having passions in my life (very important!), and quite possibly the treatment I chose.

Now, I spend much of my time raising funds to fight cancer - men's cancers in particular. And, of course, I'd really like to interest someone in doing more research for pancreatic cancer and other high mortality rate cancers. No illness should be left alone to kill 96 percent of the time.

• Pancreas Cancer Resource Center
• Colon Cancer Resource Center