Ed Crawley is not one to back down from a challenge. He started long-distance running at age 40, he built his daughter’s house with his own hands and he is the first patient at Carle Cancer Institute Urbana and one of a few in the region to successfully undergo the robotic Whipple procedure to eradicate his cancer.
World-renowned surgeon Claudius Conrad, MD, PhD, conducted the incredible five-hour surgery. Crawley’s
healthcare journey started with painless jaundice and led to an early-stage pancreatic cancer diagnosis in August. The surgery, done in the region for the first time, involves removal of the head of the pancreas, gallbladder, bile duct, stomach as well as part of the small intestine. Digestion is restored through surgically reconnecting the stomach, pancreas and bile duct.
Crawley, who turns 75 this month, completed four rounds of chemotherapy before the less invasive surgery where he had five small incisions with the longest being about two inches in size. Crawley said he could not have done so well without the support of his wife of 52 years, Deb, who continues to be by his side as he follows up with more chemotherapy post-surgery.
“The whole process was managed very well. He told me it was a big surgery, but he would get in there and take care of it and he did,” Crawley said of Dr. Conrad, who is also the Phyllis M. Wise Professor of Medicine and Innovation and associate dean for Research and Innovation at Carle Illinois College of Medicine.
Advancements in cancer treatments have shrunk the mortality rate for pancreatic cancer surgery tremendously with the recent development of a robotic approach. Dr. Conrad said the Whipple procedure (pancreaticoduodenectomy) is named after Allen Oldfather Whipple, a pioneering Columbia University surgeon, who in the 1930’s refined the operation originally devised by German surgeon Walther Kausch in the 1909.
Dr. Conrad came to Carle Health and Carle Illinois College of Medicine about 18 months ago. He credits his team at the cancer institute for preparing the patient and learning from the experience. “It’s like flying to the moon,” he said. “There may be one astronaut in the rocket, but it’s the large team on the ground that makes the mission possible. We become students of our patients and their cancer. Coming from a place of deeply understanding the story behind each patient leads us to achieve the successes in the cancer care we have,” he said.
Crawley’s positive attitude and resolute background as a hard worker contributed to making him an ideal patient for the surgery. A grandfather of five and great-grandfather of two, Crawley retired after 44 years with a grain company in Vemilion County where he worked at extracting oil from soybeans. He has a wood shop where he builds toy boxes and with some help from friends, he built a house for his daughter on his property.
He said he enjoys the hobby, but it was built of necessity. “I like to do woodworking. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up so if you wanted to have something, you had to make it.”
Dr. Conrad said, “His recovery is so remarkable. Discharge was possible after three days and it is a miracle Mr. Crawley could return to chemo only two weeks after the surgery.”
Carle Health offers premiere cancer treatment and support services at locations throughout central Illinois. This includes Carle Cancer Institute Urbana, Carle Cancer Institute Normal and Oncology Services at Carle Health Methodist Hospital in Peoria. Learn more.
Categories: Redefining Healthcare, Community
Tags: cancer, Carle, Carle Cancer Institute, Champaign-Urbana