Teen with rare terminal pancreatic cancer shows what it’s like to live for just two months

A desperately ill teenager suffering from a rare form of late-stage cancer has detailed how he was terminally ill with just two months to live.

A 19-year-old Reddit user named Richard posted an Ask Me Anything (AMA) thread this week about his cancer experience.

The disease is America’s third deadliest form of cancer, and less than one percent of patients are under the age of 20.

The condition, which is notoriously difficult to spot, affects only 13 in 100,000 people, according to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

Despite the grim diagnosis, Richard said he has made peace with his prognosis and is “not afraid” of death.

Pancreatic cancer is the third deadliest form of the disease in the US, with an overall survival rate of 12.5 percent. However, that drops to about three percent if the disease is discovered late, which is usually the case

He said he was never “afraid of death” and always believed he would be ready when his time came. “I tried my best not to have any regrets,” he wrote.

“I have no regrets or grudges. I’m just for what fate reserves for me.’

Richard noticed about a year ago that ‘something was wrong’. “I was always tired, felt without energy and then I noticed blood in my stool,” he said. He noticed that his stools were almost black and sometimes there was so much blood that he passed out in the bathroom.

His family sought help from three different doctors, who performed “every test you can think of” before he was ultimately diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

By then “it was too late.”

Early signs of pancreatic cancer include jaundice, stomach pain, back pain, weight loss and floating stools

The majority of patients are over 65 years old and only 0.2 percent are Richard’s age. The average age at diagnosis is 70 years

Richard said he put off seeing a doctor because he thought the symptoms were due to stress as he spent time volunteering and studying at university. “But (I) was terribly wrong,” he said.

Pancreatic cancer is the third deadliest form of the disease in the US, with an overall five-year survival rate of 12.5 percent.

It has been called a ‘silent killer’ because patients rarely develop symptoms before the disease has spread to other parts of the body, where the disease is incurable.

In about 80 percent of cases, the disease is diagnosed at a late stage, when the chance of surviving longer than five years drops to three percent.

Common symptoms include stomach pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, jaundice, dark urine, light-colored or floating stools, fatigue, and itching.

NCI estimates that 64,000 cases of pancreatic cancer were diagnosed last year, along with more than 50,000 deaths.

The majority of patients are over 65 years old and only 0.2 percent are Richard’s age. The average age at diagnosis is 70 years.

Richard noted that they were adopted from an orphanage in Ukraine as a young child, which he called his “best memory,” so he doesn’t know if he has a family history of cancer.

Despite the prospects, he has refused any form of treatment and has chosen to accept the circumstances. “Pain is part of my life,” he said.

In the meantime, he enjoys reading, spending time outdoors and watching documentaries. He doesn’t have a bucket list and prefers to stick to his ‘shy and introverted life’.

At the time of writing this, he said he was at home “having a beer and relaxing. I like to appreciate the little moments that life offers you.’

Richard said that while he comes to terms with his diagnosis, he is focusing on appreciating “little moments of happiness” and maintaining a positive outlook.

(I) told myself to be happy (because) I deserved it,” he said.

“My only advice is to become the best version of yourself and never give up (because) life is too short to be wasted.”