The Power of Persistence: Steve Kolcun’s Pancreatic Cancer Story
June 30, 2025
When most people lose weight, it’s cause for celebration. For Steve Kolcun, it was cause for concern.
You see, Kolcun wasn’t planning to lose weight or even trying. It was just happening. So he did the smart thing: He called Mount Carmel Medical Group’s Dr. Troy Johson, his primary care physician, for a consult.
“There wasn’t anything obviously wrong, but he sent me for some blood tests anyway,” Kolcun recalled. “They all came back negative. But a month later I was still losing weight, so I called Dr. Johnson again and he decided to schedule a CT scan just to be safe. That decision saved my life.”
The CT showed a mass on Kolcun’s pancreas that turned out to be cancer. In fact, his post-scan carbohydrate antigen (CA 19-9) test revealed a level of 17,000 when the normal range is somewhere short of 40. He was told he was late stage 2 or early stage 3 in terms of the cancer’s size and location.
“I thought I was a walking dead man,” he said. “But luckily it hadn’t spread, and because they’d caught it early, they were pretty optimistic about the treatment.”
He started chemotherapy right away, but it didn’t shrink the tumor as much as his oncology team had hoped. Making matters worse, his gallbladder had ruptured in the process. That sped up the timeline a bit.
“I had the Whipple surgery, which removed about 25 percent of my pancreas,” said Kolcun. “They took my gallbladder and appendix, too.”
Thankfully the 11-hour procedure was a success and the cancer was removed with clear margins. His latest CA 19-9 test came back at an almost astounding 34. He’s undergoing another round of chemotherapy now and could complete his treatment as early as August.
“It’s been a battle,” he stated, gratefully. “So many people who face pancreatic cancer don’t survive. Hopefully, mine doesn’t come back.”
“I give all credit to Dr. Johnson,” he added. “If not for his listening and action, early detection would not have been possible. He listened to my concerns, took the appropriate actions, and got me the treatment I needed. He saved my life.”
Kolcun’s making the most of that life. At Dr. Johnson’s suggestion, he’s taking things a little slower now. He’s working part time, feeling pretty good, and sticking with the plan.
“He told me I needed to learn how to be sick,” Kolcun said. “And he was right. Tomorrow’s another day, so I don’t tend to rush as much anymore. I’ve learned to swallow my pride and ask for help.”
He’s optimistic about the future, too. “I was told only about 20 percent of pancreatic cancer patients are successful with surgery and chemo, and only about 5 percent are completely cleared,” he concluded.
“Right now I’m in that 5 percent, and that’s pretty damn good.” Yes. Yes, it is.