{"id":117819,"date":"2024-12-09T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=117819"},"modified":"2025-09-30T14:33:56","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T19:33:56","slug":"nebraskan-empowered-by-annual-pancreatic-cancer-screenings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2024\/12\/09\/nebraskan-empowered-by-annual-pancreatic-cancer-screenings\/","title":{"rendered":"Nebraskan empowered by annual pancreatic cancer screenings"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"panel body-content\"><div class=\"panel__container\">\n<p>Given her family\u2019s history with cancer, Jody Vondra has made decisions that empower both her life and those around her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Crete, Nebraska, resident shares her story in a new book titled \u201cThe Country Road Perspective,\u201d which chronicles how she navigated difficult roads related to her health, walked away from corporate life, founded her own company and became a staunch advocate of her own health journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was a slave to cancer without ever having it,\u201d Vondra said, noting multiple family members who were diagnosed with the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For years, the disease haunted her. In 2003, her older sister \u2013 30 years old at the time  \u2013 was diagnosed with breast cancer. \u201cIt was a completely unexpected diagnosis,\u201d Vondra said. \u201cWe locked arms and walked that journey with her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Several years after her sister\u2019s cancer diagnosis, doctors recommended her family consider genetic testing. They met with a genetics counselor to map out their family history: a paternal grandfather who died of colon cancer at 52, a paternal great grandmother and paternal aunt who each had breast cancer, along with a string of paternal great aunts and uncles with various types of cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vondra, her father and her sisters decided to complete genetic testing. The results? Vondra, her eldest sister and her father all tested positive for alterations in the Breast Cancer 2 (BRCA2) gene, which meant they were at a significantly increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer, along with a slightly elevated risk of such cancers as pancreatic, stomach and melanoma. Vondra\u2019s younger sister tested negative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vondra says while genetic testing was the right answer for her, she recommends others consult with a genetic counselor and primary care doctor before making the decision to test. \u201cThere is power in knowledge, and each person\u2019s circumstances are unique,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking back, \u201cI was always waiting for the other shoe to drop,\u201d she said. \u201cNow, I talk a lot about empowerment and perspective. We don\u2019t have to be victims of cancer or have a diagnosis to be advocates for our own health. We can be empowered to be proactive and break the mental bondage of cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After several inconclusive screenings, Vondra took preventive, surgical steps to reduce her cancer risk, which also provided her freedom from the psychological weight of cancer, she said. \u201cIt was a burden carried silently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, she represents a community of previvors \u2013 individuals who have an elevated genetic cancer risk. \u201cWe have watched our loved ones battle the disease and dealt with our own cancer scares,\u201d she writes in her book. \u201cWe have quietly battled the evils of cancer mentally and emotionally. We haven\u2019t earned the badge of survivor and pray we never do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More than a decade after her preventive surgeries, during the COVID-19 pandemic, her dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, a result of his BRCA2 mutation. The 73-year-old farmer, who she said \u201cwas always healthy,\u201d died in January 2021, 2 1\/2 weeks after his diagnosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After her father died, and amid fears she herself would get pancreatic cancer, Vondra said she renewed her commitment to be proactive. She decided to learn more about the disease and her risk, so she returned for another battery of tests and to plan a preventive course of action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JodyVondra18120924-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-117830\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JodyVondra18120924-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JodyVondra18120924-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JodyVondra18120924-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JodyVondra18120924-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JodyVondra18120924-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JodyVondra18120924.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jody Vondra, center, with nurse Suzanne Wessling, at left, and Kelsey Klute, MD<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Her journey led her to nationally renowned oncologist, Kelsey Klute, MD, who is leading efforts to develop screening regimens for pancreatic cancer. Now, each spring, Vondra visits the Fred &amp; Pamela Buffett Cancer Center for an annual screening regiment: blood draws, MRIs and an A1C test (as a sudden onset of diabetes can be a signal for a heightened risk of pancreatic cancer, she said). She also completes an annual dermatology screening and colonoscopy screening every five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She gives blood twice a year as part of a longitudinal study led by Dr. Klute, a Nebraska Medicine gastrointestinal medical oncologist and UNMC associate professor. The study, launched in 2019 and funded by the National Cancer Institute, is designed to study changes and\/or blood markers to better detect and pioneer future treatments. More than 650 individuals are participating in the study (IRB No. 0335-18-FB). The study continues to recruit participants who have multiple family members affected by pancreatic cancer, carry a gene mutation associated with pancreatic cancer risk or have a family member diagnosed with pancreatic cancer before the age of 60. Participants can learn more at the <a href=\"https:\/\/clinicaltrials.gov\/study\/NCT03568630\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Clinical Trials.Gov site, opens in a new window\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Clinical Trials.Gov site<\/a> and can reach the study team at 402-559-1577. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JodyVondra015120924-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-117828\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JodyVondra015120924-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JodyVondra015120924-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JodyVondra015120924-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JodyVondra015120924-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JodyVondra015120924-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JodyVondra015120924.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jody Vondra makes one of her twice-a-year visits to the Nebraska Medical Center for blood draws. Nurse Suzanne Wessling takes her history and draws blood.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s empowering,\u201d Vondra said of her decision to undergo testing, but she acknowledges it\u2019s a personal choice. \u201cThere\u2019s a very logical side of \u2018Why would you <em>not <\/em>do that (testing)?\u2019 and another that says, \u2018Do you <em>really<\/em> want to know?\u2019 There\u2019s not a right or wrong answer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, for researchers, the longitudinal information provided by Vondra and other study participants is \u201can absolute treasure,\u201d Dr. Klute said. \u201cWe know that a fraction of people enrolled in the study will go on to develop pancreatic cancer. Having blood samples from the months and years leading up to the diagnosis is a powerful resource for scientists working to develop blood tests that could be used to screen for pancreatic cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vondra will be 50 in December. She speaks highly of Dr. Klute and the team at the Fred &amp; Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. \u201cIt\u2019s been a very positive experience,\u201d she said of her frequent visits to the med center. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to have a disease to be an advocate for your health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While focusing on her health, Vondra stepped away from her role as senior vice president for customer advocacy and director of customer experience at Cabela\u2019s and Bass Pro Shops, which she held for a decade. Today, she leads Perspective Elevation LLC, which she founded to help individuals, teams and companies discover the best version of themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI know how I want to live the second half of my life \u2013 with purpose to empower others.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jody Vondra navigates her family&#8217;s difficult roads through cancer and shares her perspective on the journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":117829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"55089,50096,56119,38572,55751,51140","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3650,3646,3606],"class_list":["post-117819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-cancer-center-outreach","tag-cancer-center-patient-story","tag-cancer-center-research","topic-patient-care","department-eppley-institute-for-cancer-research","department-fred-pamela-buffett-cancer-center","department-unmc-front-page","department-unmc-today-todays-headlines","author_override-karen-burbach-unmc-strategic-communications"],"yoast_head":"<!-- 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