Charli Fulton is no stranger to pushing herself mentally and physically.
The retired attorney was 67 when she undertook a 2,200-mile hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail. About 700 miles in, she fell and broke her wrist, but she pushed ahead until she had finished.
“What I learned was that you can pretty much power through very hard things. Your mind can tell your body to do things, and your body will do amazing things,” said Fulton, of Madison.
This was the first of several long-distance hikes Fulton has completed, including the 1,200-mile Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin. She credits this experience with helping her push through a 2021 pancreatic cancer diagnosis and the difficult treatments that followed. Because it was caught very early, Fulton had a better treatment outlook than most patients.
Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest because it is often caught in advanced, metastatic stages with limited treatment options. That’s why new early detection and treatment research is crucial. You can help support UW Carbone’s researchers through the pancreatic cancer greatest needs fund.
Diagnosis
Fulton was staying at her sister’s house for Christmas in 2020 when she woke up with excruciating back pain and kept vomiting. Fulton had a history of gastric issues, but these symptoms were unusual. Her primary care provider referred her for additional testing, and she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2021.
Luckily for Fulton, the cancer had been caught very early, which meant she had good treatment options. She began care at Carbone Cancer Center with Dr. Monica Patel, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist and assistant professor of medicine at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Patel’s plan for Fulton included initial chemotherapy and a surgery called a Whipple procedure. This surgery removes the head of the pancreas, the bile duct, gallbladder, and duodenum (part of the small intestine), and the lower part of the stomach. Then the digestive tract is reconstructed.
While Fulton felt reassured that the plan would effectively treat her cancer, she dreaded the chemotherapy. She sought advice from friends who also went through chemotherapy, who encouraged her to focus on how strong and healthy she was to begin treatment. She also reminded herself how she’s pushed through challenging, painful hikes.
“The chemo turned out to be way harder than I could have imagined,” she said. “It was terrible. It’s the worst thing I’ve gone through in my life.”
Fulton had a month of recovery after chemotherapy before the Whipple procedure was performed by Dr. Rebecca Minter, a pancreas surgery specialist and professor and chair of the University of Wisconsin Department of Surgery.
Fulton’s surgery was successful and she recovered quickly, but adjusting to her new digestive tract has been a long, painful process. She now follows a strict diet that has given her more freedom in her daily activities.
“It's really been a struggle, but I'm totally grateful to be here,” she said. “I mean, all things considered, I have quite a normal life.”
Living with a diagnosis
Fulton’s first hike after her treatments was a 500-mile route of the Camino de Santiago trail network that stretched across northern Spain in 2022. She took the trip in gratitude of surviving, and to see how well she could do getting back to a long hike. In 2024, she completed a 450-mile hike of Prince Edward Island in Canada.
Fulton is planning to hike a Portugal-based route of the Camino de Santiago this fall. She continues to be monitored every six months for signs of new pancreatic cancer growth, but she received a new diagnosis of early-stage lung cancer in December 2025. She received radiation treatments and is now in monitoring for that as well.
Fulton advised other cancer patients to advocate for themselves and ask questions about the risks and benefits of proposed treatment plans. She also appreciated the breadth of patient support services offered through Carbone, including the free wig offered through UW Health’s Positive Image Salon for female cancer patients. She also found meditation helpful in reducing her stress during treatments.
“Pretty often I would fall asleep, but I always woke up feeling really, really refreshed,” she said. “It helped me feel like I was tapping into my body’s natural ability to heal itself so that I was doing my share of the treatment and not just letting the doctors do all the work.”