It wasn’t exactly the Christmas present Don Belisle expected or wanted, but he’s thankful for it now.
On Dec. 26, 2024, the Evans’ resident experienced excruciating abdominal pain. Having endured unexplained bouts of pancreatitis in 2017, he knew exactly what the cause of his pain was before a trip to the ER confirmed it. He went home with instructions to return if he didn’t feel better. The pain didn’t subside; instead, it worsened.
After a second ER visit and rounds of tests, doctors found a pancreatic cyst and told him to follow up in three or four months.
“Something told me that wasn’t right,” said Belisle, whose father had died of stomach cancer in 1994 only three weeks after being diagnosed.
Belisle had worked part time for Paceline, an organization that raises funds for the Georgia Cancer Center, and has gone to extraordinary lengths to raise money for cancer research including a 24-hour bike ride. That nagging feeling caused him to consult with friends and to meet with doctors at MD Anderson in Houston.
Doctors there did a myriad of tests and determined that cyst was precancerous, but it was aggressively growing.
“I’d spent five years raising money for cancer research. Now I was on the other side. It was pretty startling,” he said.
It was shocking because Belisle doesn’t drink or smoke; maintains a healthy diet and is committed to exercise. Between walking and bicycling, he chalks up between 150 and 200 miles per week.
(Read more about one of Don Belisle’s cancer fundraisers here)
The course of treatment required the removal of several organs including his pancreas, spleen, gallbladder and duodenum in March. His healthy lifestyle contributed to a quicker recovery, doctors told him.
He’s completely dependent upon an insulin pump these days, but he’s reclaimed his active lifestyle and even rode for Paceline in October.
Doctors found no other signs of cancer; his next follow-up will be at the one-year mark.
He’s no longer working for the Paceline, but he’s found a role to help others in a different way. With a slogan of “No pancreas; no problem,” he’s providing support to people who are going through similar surgery and helping answer questions about their shared experience.
November is pancreatic cancer awareness month, and Belisle, who celebrated his birthday Nov 23, took to social media this month to highlight the disease which only has a 13.3% five-year survival rate.
“It’s pretty scary,” he said.
Usually, pancreatic cancer isn’t diagnosed until later stages, hence the low survival rate. The disease has taken the lives of people such as actors Patrick Swayze and Alan Rickman, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and game show host Alex Trebek.
Belisle had no symptoms, and he felt fine, he said. “I think that the pancreatitis saved my life. Who knows what would’ve happened?” he said.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named Augusta Magazine’s best local writer in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
