
Nobody knows what killed my mother.
Actually, that’s an exaggeration. But it’s pretty close. Only one-in-seven Australians is aware of pancreatic cancer.
Perhaps it’s because 83 per cent of us aren’t sure what this odd-shaped organ does. For many years this lobular gland – which looks a little like a tadpole – was nicknamed the “hermit of the abdomen”. Its purpose was a medical mystery.

Tracey Spicer as a child with her Mum and sibling. Image: Supplied.
Admittedly it’s a tad tough to say, “the pancreas secretes enzymes for digestion, and hormones to metabolise sugars”, in an engaging ‘grab’ on commercial television.
To use the media’s vernacular, it’s not ‘sexy’ enough for a story. Breast cancer is easier to imagine because – as one News Director told me – “Everybody loves looking at tits”. A flesh-hued tadpole doesn’t quite cut it.
So, when Mum was feeling fatigued, looking jaundiced, and losing weight, she put it down to working long hours and turning 50. It was only when she found a lump in her neck that we went to the hospital for an X-Ray. (Post continues after gallery.)
Tracey Spicer Instagram
The screen was dappled in snowflakes – unusual for a sunny day. “You have cancer here, here, here, here, and here,” the oncologist said, pointing to her viscera. An army was invading her insides. “I’m afraid it’s terminal. I’d say you have seven months to live.”
Top Comments
My father died in 1987 of pancreatic cancer - I was 22 at the time. He lived six weeks from when he was diagnosed until he died. It was a terrible shock for all of us - totally unexpected. When my second son was born I was doing some family tree research and discovered his grandmother also died from the same disease. This cancer is a stone cold killer. I don't know why it isn't talked about more - particularly as many high profile people have died from the disease. Thank you for this story and my condolences on the loss of your mother.