Pancreatic cancer survivor with Pittsburgh ties vows to spread awareness of early detection

Andy Lyons will never forget the moment his entire perspective on life changed: a memory that’s 20 years old but feels like it was yesterday.

“I was with my brother, one of the last days I knew we would be together…” said Lyons. “I just watched him wither away, the last month or so…it was just so sad. He said, ‘Please don’t let this happen to you.’”

It was pancreatic cancer, a diagnosis that several members of Lyons’ family knew all too well.

Lyons’ mother, grandmother, aunts, and an uncle all died from the disease, followed by his brother in 2002.

“He was my Superman … he was my big brother … invincible. And cancer was killing him,” Lyons said.

With a renewed sense of purpose and so much life left to live, Lyons set out on a path of “vigilance and diligence,” finding an oncologist in his hometown of Des Moines, getting annual scans, and enrolling in active surveillance and research programs across the country, in hopes of detecting the cancer in its earliest stages.

Lyons’ journey of prevention brought him to UPMC’s Hillman Cancer Center, home of the Pancreas Center of Excellence, where doctors have state-of-the-art technology to help detect cancer early.

“Andy is very open with his medical history because he wants people to learn from his experience,” said Dr. Randall Brand, UPMC gastroenterologist.

But even checking all the boxes, year after year, simply wasn’t enough to prevent the three words Lyons never wanted to hear.

“The silence was just deafening. ‘You have cancer,’” Lyons said.

The news was delivered by Brand, who had become a dear friend.

“I walked out of there … as soon as I saw it, I got emotional in the room,” Brand said.

Since his pancreatic cancer was caught early, Lyons was eligible for surgery 10 days later, which could be done robotically at UPMC. Lyons even spent Thanksgiving with Brand and his family while recovering in Pittsburgh.

“There are two ways to look at it, and I think this is how Andy looks at it, the glass is half full,” Brand said.

After numerous scans and chemotherapy, Brand relayed the news this past October – no signs of cancer.

“I think I was given a second chance. I think I was given a mission,” Lyons said.

He now has a new mission to spread awareness in advocating for your own health, and reminding people with a family history or heightened risk to be proactive.

“The fact is, since we were able to find it at an earlier stage, we are giving him the opportunity to be cured of pancreatic cancer, and that’s the blessing,” Brand said.

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