Deputy Charles Holzberger #219 |
Deputy Charles Holzberger is celebrating 10 years as a cancer survivor, overcoming incredible odds in beating back pancreatic cancer with the help of his faith, family and friends. He shares his story with us:
"On
Jan. 29, 2013, I was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in the head of my
pancreas. I was extremely lucky because the tumor, which was 3.25 centimeters
in diameter, cut off my bile duct causing me to become jaundiced. I was luckier
still, because MedStar St. Mary’s sent me immediately to the Washington
Hospital Center for care. On Feb. 8, 2013, I had a trial surgery, combining
the Whipple Procedure to remove the tumor and a warm chemo bath. The chemo bath
involved circulating the chemo through the open abdomen after surgery to
eliminate any tumor cells that may have been dislodged in surgery. Again, my
luck held in that the cancer had not spread beyond the pancreas and bile duct.
I was told I had a 10-percent chance of surviving surgery and if I survived
that, I had a less than 10-percent chance of surviving five years. At the time, I
said I was going to beat this with the assistance of faith, family and friends," he said.
"In November 2018, it was discovered that the pancreatic cancer had returned in my liver. Amazingly, it was operable and was surgically removed with no other cancer being evident. However, complications from the surgery led to five months of recurrent infections in which I almost died from sepsis in February of 2019. During that time, my squad was always checking on me. I then returned on light duty for a couple of months before coming back to full duty. Again, I had lost weight down to 170 pounds. Again, my squad went about making sure that I ate, that I walked and that I laughed. I cannot say enough about the power of laughter to a cancer survivor," he said.
"Four years later, I am celebrating 10 years as a Pancreatic Cancer survivor, which statistically is a 1-percent chance. I am truly blessed to have survived. I am also truly blessed to have been part of a squad that has shown through their actions that they believe in my survival motto: Faith, family and friends," he said.
Courthouse security team then |
Courthouse security team now |