When I was diagnosed with stage III pancreatic cancer in January 2017, I was pretty shocked. Both of my parents died of heart disease in their 50s. So, I’d grown up looking out for that, along with diabetes and hypertension, which also run in my family.

At the time of my diagnosis, I was 53, and I didn’t know anything about pancreatic cancer. I just wanted it out of me. Today, I am cancer-free, thanks to a second opinion and a...