The holidays aren’t always the most wonderful time of the year for patients and their Caregiver.

The holidays for most are usually a time of joy, family gatherings and making lasting memories. This "wonderful time of the year," can also be very stressful for pancreatic cancer patients and their Caregivers. We had the opportunity to talk with Courtney Sparkuhl, about dealing with stress during the holidays. Courtney, is a licensed clinical social worker at UC Irvine Health working in the Comprehensive Digestive Disease Center (CDDC). Courtney provides supportive counseling and resource connection to patients with IBD, colorectal disease, and liver and pancreas diseases and cancer. Courtney is also a Pancreatic Cancer Action Network PatientChampion. A Patient Champion is a healthcare professional who shares PanCAN's resources with pancreatic cancer patients.