Our Fight. Our Family
Hello, my name is Chris Ochoa, and I am the founder and president of effNETS. At heart, I’m just an ordinary person. Someone who enjoys the simple joys of life, family, and laughter.
I married my amazing wife, Jessica, when I was 30 years old. The past ten years have been filled with love, adventure, and the beautiful chaos of family life. Together, we’ve been blessed with three incredible children: our spirited daughter and two energetic little boys who have completed our world.
Life felt perfect. We were cruising through the days of family routines, shared meals, and the everyday joys of raising kids. But two years ago, everything changed.
Jessica started experiencing random aches and discomfort. Nothing that seemed unusual at first. Like many of us, we brushed it off, thinking it was just part of the whirlwind of life. After all, we enjoyed food, fun, and family without much worry. But a caring nurse at Jessica’s workplace encouraged her to see a doctor, just to be safe.
After some initial tests, her doctors ordered an MRI.
That’s the moment my world turned upside down.
Jessica was diagnosed with NETS pancreatic cancer.
In that instant, fear consumed me. I didn’t know what to think except the worst. I’ll admit, my mind went straight to every dramatized moment I’d ever seen on television. I couldn’t help but wonder, “How long do we have?”
But what I didn’t know then was how wrong I was. I was uneducated. I was naive. I had no idea that pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a rare form of cancer that, while daunting, come with options and hope.
The journey since that day has been filled with moments I wouldn’t wish on anyone: fear, uncertainty, and the weight of the unknown. But it’s also been filled with hope, resilience, and the unshakable strength of family and community.
This experience lit a fire in me. It inspired the creation of effNETS, a foundation dedicated to supporting families affected by pancreatic NETs and raising awareness for a cancer that too often hides in the shadows. My goal is to help others facing this diagnosis know that they are not alone, and that hope and options exist, even in the face of the rarest battles.