From life-saving surgery to back on the slopes: A photographer’s story

Thursday, February 27, 2025

*photos courtesy of Gary Peterson Photography*

In 2023, Gary Peterson received life-saving surgery for pancreatic cancer. Today, his Instagram feed is filled with photos and videos of him carving up the slopes on his snowboard. They’re proof his story didn’t end the way his doctors first feared.

At the time of his diagnosis, Gary, now 62, had lost more than 150 pounds. He was managing diabetes and deep vein thrombosis in his leg. Gary knew he was sick, but he was busy living an exciting life as an outdoor sports photographer. He was an avid snowboarder, climber and hiker and balancing it all as a father and husband.

The diagnosis

In May 2023, Gary went to the emergency department. He’d spent a month homebound, managing relentless vomiting. “It was terrible. I couldn’t keep anything down,” he says.
A CT scan and a blood marker test pointed to an issue with his pancreas. But he left without clear answers. It wasn’t until he met with his doctor that he heard the life-changing news: he had pancreatic cancer.
“They said the tumor on my pancreas was the size of a baseball,” Gary recalls.

The pancreas, located behind the stomach, is essential to digestion and metabolism. Cancer happens when cells in the pancreas mutate (change), multiply out of control and form a tumor. Usually, tumors grow in the main duct that connects the pancreas to the bile duct.

According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately three out of 100 cancer diagnoses in the United States each year is pancreatic cancer. However, nearly nine out of every 100 cancer deaths are caused by the disease.

The reason this cancer is often deadly is because it grows in the middle of the abdomen, near vital organs and vessels. Also, early-stage pancreatic cancer doesn’t have symptoms and tumors don’t show up on imaging tests. Detecting this type of cancer before it grows and spreads is uniquely challenging.

A clear action plan

Gary’s doctor told him he needed to start chemotherapy immediately, followed by surgery. He was referred to Jon A. Gerry, M.D., a hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgeon and medical director of hepatobiliary surgery in the Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Cancer Program at Providence Cancer Institute.

“The second I walked into Dr. Gerry’s office I had a great feeling about him. He’s a straight talker. He gave me a blunt assessment and a clear action plan,” says Gary.

The plan: Gary would receive eight chemotherapy treatments over 12 weeks, followed by a Whipple procedure. Chemotherapy is used to shrink a tumor in an effort to make surgery safer and increase the likelihood of effectively removing all cancer. The Whipple procedure is a complex surgery to remove the cancerous tumor at the head of the pancreas, plus the first portion of the small intestine (duodenum), part of the bile duct and the gallbladder.

“I told Dr. Gerry, I’m confident if you’re confident,” Gary recalls.

Still, Gary had accepted he might not survive. “I’d made peace with the fact this could be it,” he says. But at the same time, he wasn’t ready to give up. “There's a lot of things I still wanted to do.”

Finding strength through treatment

Gary approached chemotherapy with a positive attitude, determined to tackle it head-on. While each session left him fatigued for a day or two, he, his wife Carrie and son James found ways to turn each milestone into a meaningful event. That summer, he had planned to climb the Grand Tetons with friends; an adventure that had taken months to plan. Despite his treatment, he and his family still made the trip. Though he didn’t climb, being outdoors with his family and friends, surrounded by the mountains, was enough to lift his spirits. After his eighth chemotherapy, Dr. Gerry performed the Whipple procedure at Providence Portland Medical Center. Gary remembers the day clearly—it was Halloween. If all went well, he planned to be back on the slopes before the end of the year. Dr. Gerry advised that he would need at least 60 days to heal after surgery, but Gary was determined to not miss a snow season.

Surgery takes a team

The surgery took nine hours. “It was a hard surgery. The tumor was a doozy,” says Dr. Gerry. The large tumor was nestled dangerously close to vessels and extended through the head, neck and body of Gary’s pancreas. “I had to take out more pancreas than is typical,” he recalls.

Dr. Gerry credits the entire surgical team for the successful outcome. In addition to his assisting surgeon, Michele Babicky, M.D., former surgereon at The Oregon Clinic, and his colleagues who would regularly check in during surgery, Dr. Gerry was supported by surgical nurses, the interventional radiology and advanced gastroenterology teams.

“Surgery is a team sport,” he says. “It does not happen in a vacuum.”

Gary couldn’t agree more. “They’re an unbelievably talented operation—off-the-hook! I have the entire team to thank,” he says.

A challenging recovery

Gary spent a week in the hospital recovering—sometimes in immense pain and unable to walk more than a few steps at a time. It was unsettling for someone used to challenging his body and mind in extreme outdoor conditions.

“I've never been in that type of shape in my life,” he says. “I've climbed amazing mountains. But my recovery started with just a lap around the nurses’ station.”

By the end of his hospital stay, Gary walked a few stairs with the help of his physical therapist. It was a small but powerful victory and a confidence boost.

At home, Gary and Carrie took daily walks, each time going a little farther. Determined to get on the mountain, Gary added a weighted pack to build endurance.

Making it back to the mountain

By the holidays, Gary felt strong enough to strap on his board. On Christmas eve day, he and Carrie drove to Timberline ski area. With her help, he got dressed and clicked into his snowboard. He rode 500 feet downhill and then collapsed in the snow.

“My wife had to help me get out of my snowboard and back to the car,” he says. “But I’ve never been happier in my life to be on the snow. I made my goal.”

“Gary has a strong character, "says Dr. Gerry. “There are so many challenges for these patients, both mental and physical. Gary has taken back his life and moved on. He just doesn't hold back.”

Life after cancer

Gary sees his oncologist every three months and so far, the news has been good. He’s back to work as the official snowboard photographer at Mt. Hood Skibowl. He’s snowboarding and climbing again.
But the journey isn’t without challenges. “I'm certainly not the man I used to be,” he admits. “I'm still fighting to put weight on. I'm 150 pounds and the doctors want me to be between 160 and 170 pounds.”

He also suffers from peripheral neuropathy, a common side effect of chemotherapy. Damage to the peripheral nervous system related to the chemotherapy medications can cause pain, tingling, numbness and weakness to arms, hands, legs and feet.

Gary manages the pain and tingling in his feet with medications. Some days are better than others, but he doesn’t let it hold him back. He just grits his teeth and pushes harder, rides longer and keeps going, no matter what.

That drive is why Gary plans to climb Mt. Hood next fall, on the second anniversary of his life-saving surgery.

Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Cancer Program at Providence Cancer Institute

The National Pancreas Foundation recognized Providence Cancer Institute as a Center of Excellence for pancreatic cancer care – one of the only centers in Oregon. We care for our patients as a finely tuned team of passionate, highly trained experts: medical oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, oncology nurse navigators, social workers and other essential professionals. Having a wide range of experience and viewpoints helps us tailor treatment plans to each person’s needs—from diagnosis through treatment and beyond. Call 866-418-5042 for information.