My Jasper Story: David

I’ve been active for most of my adult life—I’ve long been an avid runner and since moving with my wife to central Florida, I’ve enjoyed bike riding, golfing, and playing softball too. I also love working outside and tending to the lawn and the garden. Until recently, living an active life has helped keep me in excellent health.

But when I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April 2018, my priorities began to shift. Soon after diagnosis, I had to learn how to balance the emotional weight of the experience with the logistical tasks of scheduling various appointments with different doctors and learning everything I could about new and emerging therapies.

My wife of 45+ years has been an integral part of this journey. From day one, she’s helped to keep me on top of daily tasks and appointments. She’s also helped me schedule visits with my oncologist, gastroenterologist, general practitioner, surgeons, and interventional radiologists. Still, managing all of the logistics of cancer care is a challenge.

How I found Jasper
I first discovered Jasper on my LinkedIn feed. The CPO used to be a former customer of mine and when I saw him share a post about Jasper, I was intrigued. When I researched the product on the website, I was excited to sign up and learn more.

When it comes to cancer, I believe knowledge is power. Any resources that I find that might be helpful for me or others going through a similar experience, I figure, why not? For this reason, I had no reservations about signing up. I thought if Jasper could help me manage the day-to-day tasks of cancer care, it was worth giving it a try.

My Experience So Far
I started Jasper in April of 2021 and found it easy to learn how to use. Since then, I’ve used it to help organize and schedule various appointments with my doctors. It’s been helpful to see all of the appointments in one clear, easy-to-manage place. And I like having the reminders pop up on my phone or iPad before each appointment.

I’ve also enjoyed having another reliable source of information when it comes to cancer care. When you’re struggling with cancer, you don’t want to limit the information that you can gather. As a patient, it can be difficult to find one-on-one time with your doctors. In my experience, I generally have about six minutes per visit with each specialist. During that limited time, it can be very difficult to ask the doctor specific questions about my medication, alternative options, etc.

But between Jasper and another cancer care portal that I use, I’m able to gather important information when I need it most. This helps me spend less time managing the logistics of my care, while still learning valuable and possibly helpful information about treatments and therapies.

My Progress
After my diagnosis, my mind went in a thousand different directions at once. In addition to experiencing a lot of internal changes, I had to learn how to regroup to address the logistics and strategy of my treatment.

Thanks to my wife, my greater support network, and the products like Jasper that help me manage the day-to-day, I have learned how to be my own best advocate and how to leverage the information that I find to source the best and right care for me.

Three years ago, I was told that I had eighteen months to live. Since then, I’ve had over thirteen rounds of intensive chemotherapy and two relatively new therapies: MRI-LINAC and NanoKnife. Now, my tumor has shrunk so significantly, my oncologist says it’s unmeasurable—which was better news than I could have imagined. Ever since, my tumor remains stable.

Though I’m still on the road to recovery, I try to keep the right attitude and look to the future as much as possible. I’m exercising regularly again, including swimming ten laps a day, walking, and riding my bike.

To anyone out there considering Jasper as a means to better manage their care, all I can say is: why not? The more support and reliable information you can find during this time, the better.

The content on this website is intended to provide the best possible information for you, but should not be considered—or used as a substitute for—medical advice. If you have questions about your diagnosis or treatment, please contact your health care provider(s). For questions or comments about this content, please email us at [email protected].