Patient Success Story: Pancreatic Cancer Patient in Recovery
When Al Osterhout, a 69-year-old Huntington Beach resident, golfer and retired business owner, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, his world was turned upside down. Thankfully, he was given a second chance at life because he acted quickly, maintained a positive attitude, and trusted his doctors would do everything in their power to get him healthy.
When Al and others around him noticed he was unexpectedly losing weight in February of 2023, his gut instincts told him something wasn’t right.
He decided to make an appointment with his primary care physician, Dr. Douglas McConnaughey, who sent him for bloodwork, diagnosed Al with Type 2 diabetes and scheduled a follow-up appointment in one week to ensure the medication he prescribed was working.
Just days later while he was working on his RV, Al’s wife, Cindy, noticed a yellowish tint to his skin. Cindy contacted Dr. McConnaughey through Edinger Medical Group’s patient portal to report the change in his complexion and his continued weight loss. Dr. McConnaughey called Al to tell him to go to the E.R. at Orange Coast Medical Center so they could begin further testing.
By midnight on Friday, February 17, test results showed that Al had a mass on his pancreas, and he was admitted immediately so they could perform surgery to remove it. In less than 24 hours, Dr. Sean Cao, General Surgeon at Orange Coast Medical Center, introduced himself to Al and Cindy and explained the long and complex process of the Whipple surgery that he would be performing on Al the next morning.
“When Dr. Cao saw our last name on Al’s chart, he looked up at me and said, ‘Mrs. O!’ Turns out, his children were former students of mine. It was that moment when I realized we were in good hands.”
The 6-hour surgery removed most of the mass on Al’s pancreas as well as 11 lymph nodes and he spent the next 9 days in recovery in the hospital.
“Dr. Cao checked in on me every day while I was recovering in the hospital, whether it was 9am or 9pm. Cindy and I felt like he would be there if we needed anything. It was very reassuring,” stated Al.
Dr. Cao and Dr. Collin Vu, Chemo Oncologist at Orange Coast Medical Center, diagnosed Al with stage 3 pancreatic cancer. Because they had found cancer in his lymph nodes, Dr. Vu started Al on a 6 ½ month course of chemotherapy just five weeks after surgery. The treatment was aggressive but that didn’t stop Al and Cindy from living their lives.
“Cindy and I like to travel. At that point, when you’re not sure if you’re going to make it or not, you want to make memories while you still can,” Al said.
Al knew it was important to maintain a positive mindset and credits the staff at Orange Coast for keeping his spirits high throughout the process. He noted he could tell morale was high among the nurses and other hospital staff and vividly remembers the energy, smiles and high fives all around when the staff would change shifts and it kept him in a good mood. He even developed a close relationship with the hospital’s valet staff, and shares that in particular, John, will always hold a place in his heart.
“[John] was the first person I saw each morning and his warm, positive attitude meant a lot to me. When he found out I was there battling cancer, he put an arm around me and said he’d like to pray with me right there in the parking lot. I love the doctors and nurses, but John in valet meant as much to me as anyone else at the hospital. I even started bringing donuts with me on Fridays for the valet staff.”
After 12 rounds of chemo came 6 weeks of radiation with Dr. Randy Wei, Radiation Oncologist at Orange Coast Medical Center. In December 2023, Al and Cindy finally received the news they had been waiting months to hear. Alan’s post-radiation PET/CT scans showed no evidence of cancer and Dr. Vu said everything looked great.
While Al will need to have clear PET/CT scans for 5 years to be considered “cancer-free” and has had to make changes to his diet, the future is looking brighter than ever before.
When asked about his current health, Al responded with, “I golfed with some buddies this morning and I feel great!”
Although Al owes his health to his doctors, nurses and the hospital staff, he reiterates that Cindy was “his angel” during this dark time – helping and advocating for him every step of the way.
Cindy has been an Edinger Medical Group patient since her family moved to Huntington Beach 60 years ago, and Al joined the group when they got married 45 years ago. Al and Cindy are now Medicare Advantage patients with Edinger Medical Group and couldn’t be happier with the care they are receiving.
“We still have a lot of living left to do, so I’ve got to keep moving forward,” said Al.
For others who find themselves in a similar situation with their health, Al and Cindy urge them to make an appointment to see their primary care doctor.
“The thing about pancreatic cancer that we didn’t know was that it’s very hard to diagnose. Al didn’t have any family history of pancreatic cancer. If you notice something different about your body, don’t wait for it to go away because, just like with any type of cancer, the earlier you catch it, the better chance you have at beating it,” said Cindy.
Al liked to call himself “the happiest cancer guy you know” because prior to his diagnosis, he was grateful for everything he had; however, getting a clean bill of health from his oncologist made him appreciate the things he has even more.
Al is looking forward to making more memories with his 3 wonderful kids and their spouses, as well as his 5 precious grandchildren all of whom live within a five-minute drive. He’s looking forward to their 2nd Annual Family Boys fishing trip to Panguitch Lake in Utah with his sons and 3 grandsons this summer, and an Alaskan cruise with Cindy for his 70th birthday in August.
“I choose to live my life happily, thanking God for each and every day. You never know what the future holds, so I think it’s important to enjoy every moment” said Al.
