Scottsdale man helping others after surviving pancreatic cancer [Video]

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — All of us have someone in our lives touched by cancer.

The statistics can be scary. Pancreatic cancer is one of the toughest diagnoses, with only a 13% survival rate after five years.

Rob Panacci is counting down the days to that benchmark, sharing his story of hope to encourage others to beat the odds.

“There’s lots of time to focus on bad stuff that can happen. Focus on what happens if it turns out good,” he said.

The 55-year-old from Scottsdale had to undergo months of radiation, chemotherapy, then surgery.

Now, he’s under the influence of hope. It wasn’t his first instinct.

“I changed my mind this year,” Panacci said.

When he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2019, Panacci was given a year to live.

“It hit real hard,” he said.

He felt healthy and thought he was losing weight from working out.

A second opinion planted a seed of hope that pushed Panacci …