One weekend in June 2017, I became incredibly ill. I’d faced digestive issues for three years, but this pain was different. By Monday, the pain was so intense I couldn’t eat or sleep.

When the medication my doctor prescribed didn’t work, he ordered an ultrasound. They determined my gallbladder was failing but also noticed a small lesion lodged between my small intestine, pancreas and gallbladder. A subsequent CT scan led to a laparoscopic...