Cathey Chustz has lived in Louisiana her entire life, rooted in the community she loves.
So when she retired from the Livingston Parish Public School System, it felt natural to explore the world beyond home. Travel became her new passion, and she made it a priority to visit new cities and places she had only heard about before.
But life changed in the summer of 2023 when she began experiencing severe abdominal pain. As a long-term diabetic, she had recently started Ozempic and knew pancreatitis was a possible side effect. But the pain continued to worsen. After an urgent care visit offered no answers, her endocrinologist asked her to come in again and ordered an ultrasound.
“That is when they found a mass,” Cathey recalls. “They knew something was wrong.”
A Diagnosis That Turned Life Upside Down
What followed was a series of tests and complications that Cathey remembers clearly. She underwent a biopsy in early August at FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake St. Elizabeth, but the results were inconclusive. More concerning, she developed a severe abdominal infection while on a family beach trip and had to be hospitalized when she got back.
During that hospitalization, physicians were able to biopsy a liver nodule and confirm her diagnosis: pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Like many patients with pancreatic cancer, Cathey learned the disease is often found at an advanced stage. Her tumor, on the tail of her pancreas, measured nearly 11 centimeters.
“I went in my first time to Our Lady of the Lake depressed and down thinking, ‘How am I going to get through this?’” Chustz says. “I told my oncologist, ‘I guess I’m going to give up my traveling.’ He responded by saying, ‘Oh, I’m going to keep you traveling, Mrs. Chustz.’ He was so hopeful, and that just helped so much.”
Care That Lifted Her Through Difficult Days
For Cathey, receiving treatment close to home has been essential. She lives in Central, about 30 minutes from Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Institute, and she says that proximity has been a blessing.
Cathey often talks about how much team members helped lift her spirits during those long infusion days, particularly, the visits from the pet therapy dogs. She even has favorites, including a nurse she calls “Hannah Banana,” whose own cancer story inspires her.
“The nursing staff is really amazing. They get to know you, and they help each other. That really impresses me,” she says.
Her care team’s encouragement allowed her to continue doing the things she loves. Through months of chemotherapy, Cathey traveled to Hawaii to visit her niece, drove the Pacific Coast Highway with her daughters and returned to Muir Woods, a place she describes as “a place you feel God’s presence.”
There have been setbacks, including a heart blockage that required a stent and a recent change in chemotherapy after a bile duct obstruction. Still, she remains grateful for the support surrounding her. She also finds purpose in lifting others.
“I made cookies for all the patients saying ‘You are loved.’ I made cupcakes for the nurses. I feel this overwhelming need to help other patients,” she says. “New patients need the most help. You have got to have hope.”
Living Each Day With Strength and Purpose
Cathey now sees survivorship as a daily commitment.
“What I have learned is that I am much stronger than I thought I was. I have to advocate for myself. I know what is important. I know not to waste any second of time. I am just living my life like I always have,” she says.
Her next plans include a conference in Milwaukee where she will meet other pancreatic cancer patients and learn about the newest research and clinical trials. She continues to stay informed about targeted therapies, immunotherapy and genetic profiling, all areas bringing new hope to people with pancreatic cancer.
“When you get a diagnosis like this, it’s devastating — especially pancreatic cancer,” Cathey says. “But here I am two years later. You can’t listen to what’s on Google; everyone is just so unique. You’ve got to have hope, or you’re not going to make it.
