By Darby Kendall
Robin Pettersen is no stranger to diving into the deep end. When the 76-year-old scuba diver was told she could undergo a novel, high-risk surgery to remove her pancreatic cancer, her only question was how soon it could happen.
Pettersen first came to her surgeon, Brett Sheppard, M.D., FACS, William E. Colson Chair of Pancreatic Disease Research and professor of surgery at the OHSU School of Medicine, with the diagnosis of unresectable pancreatic cancer — meaning her tumor was deemed unremovable through surgery because of its proximity to her aorta. However, Sheppard and Pettersen were equally determined to find a way to get her back to her globetrotting lifestyle.
“These types of surgeries are few and far between, and it was a fairly dangerous operation,” said Sheppard. “Most people, when they see that, just say, take a trip to Hawaii and enjoy your last days. But Robin worked really hard to get into peak shape for the surgery; she swam laps for a month straight. She did great, and she’s got her life back.”
Cancer-free as of May, Pettersen has no regrets about moving her care to OHSU in 2020 and trusting Sheppard to handle the rarely done procedure. A former physical education teacher, now living in Roseburg, Oregon, Pettersen was ready to follow her doctors’ prescribed routines to help her body battle the cancer.
“Dr. Sheppard was amazing for every appointment,” Pettersen said. “I thought of the surgery as, he told me it needed to be done, so I would get it done. If Dr. Sheppard had said jump, I would have asked how high on the way up. I wanted to live, but I felt I didn’t have any knowledge, and he was the expert. I knew he would do the best he could for me.”
After losing her sister to the same disease, Pettersen knew what a tough road still lay ahead of her. With the support of family, friends and her husband, Roald, Robin recovered from the surgery one step at a time.
“After the surgery, I didn’t have enough energy to both get dressed and go outside for a walk. We still laugh about my neighbors seeing me with my walker, in my pajamas, slippers and robe with my girlfriend or my husband, helping me walk up and down the street to get stronger,” Robin remembered. “I was very determined. I never wanted to disappoint my doctors, because they have devoted their lives to getting people through these things. I’m sure they have many sleepless nights. I really wanted them to just be so impressed with me that I’ve made it and know that I appreciated them.”
One aspect of her care that surprised Robin was the friendships she formed with Sheppard and her radiation oncologist, Nima Nabavizadeh, M.D. She’s kept in contact with them both over the last five years and fondly remembers her appointments with them despite the difficult subject matter.
“They were both absolutely spectacular,” Robin said. “I never felt like I was hurried along during my appointments, even though I know they were always busy. They would pull up their chair right in front of me, talk to me face-to-face and tell me everything that was going on. I wasn’t looking to make wonderful friends, but I did.”
After building close relationships with Sheppard and Nabavizadeh, the Pettersens were inspired to give back to OHSU. Robin and Roald now support the research efforts of both doctors with annual gifts, and Robin makes a point every year to send coffee shop gift cards for their residents to use.
“We’d already decided we would use our estate to support medical care,” Robin said. “But after that experience, we absolutely knew we wanted to support the research of Dr. Sheppard and Dr. Nima. To me, research is the most important thing. Pancreatic cancer research has got to become more popular so doctors can figure out a way to get ahead of it.”
Since going into remission, Robin has been traveling the globe with Roald once again, from Antarctica to the Scottish Isles to Svalbard, and she’s back to scuba diving in Hawaii and Indonesia. Reflecting on his relationship with Robin, Sheppard said he’s in awe of both her generosity and her adventurous spirit, and he can’t wait to see what she does next.
“She taught me what it’s like to be so brave in the face of such adversity. Even in such dire straits, she understood the importance of teamwork and education,” Sheppard said. “What she’s doing with her life, all that traveling and helping others, is amazing. Robin is my hero.”
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