Gibraltarian pancreatic cancer survivor in immunotherapy clinical trials success

Louis Baldachino, a pancreatic cancer survivor for the past four and a half years, has been featured in the Clinica de Navarra (CUN) quarterly issued news magazine.

It highlights his success story to date.

Mr Baldachino was diagnosed with the disease in July 2015, and the article is an extensive 16 page report on the advances being achieved with immunotherapy and clinical trials.

“For the first 2 years of the trial, from October 2017 to November 2019, I had weekly treatments done in the CUN clinic in Pamplona,” Mr Baldachino said.

“This of course meant every week travelling for hours to Pamplona for two years - normally treatments were done on Mondays.”

“This entailed travelling up to Pamplona on Sundays, having blood analysis and other tests done on Monday mornings, followed by the actual treatment and travelling back to Gibraltar later that day on Monday.”

“It has been very very tough to say the least but absolutely determined ‘for it to happen’ with the unconditional support of my family, friends, the management at my place of work and my work colleagues.”

“Together with my family, I have gone through very difficult times and emotions. Through all of this, I have always remained positive and strong to keep fighting and determined to win the 'battle'.”

“With the excellent results of the clinical trial, I am able to live and enjoy a near 'normal' life.”

“The way I see it is that my quality of life is just further evidence to what I have always believed in since I was diagnosed with this horrible disease way back in 2015 - always keep fighting and believing.”

“Pancreatic cancer has the worst survival rate of all common cancers with only a 7% survival rate after five years of being diagnosed but my message to everyone, as emphatic as one can be, is to ‘Never lose hope’.”

“We all now face the grave situation of the Covid-19 pandemic with cancer patients undergoing treatment extremely more vulnerable - myself being one of them plus the fact I had my spleen removed in 2016 is of course a further serious complication. So, yes it’s a further challenge! I need to take care, keep positive and fight ‘whatever comes my way’.”

“Keep safe, stay home always remembering our elderly and all the more vulnerable of our Gibraltar to this pandemic.”