Across the country, millions watched Patrick Swayze talk about his diagnosis and battle with pancreatic cancer in an exclusive interview with ABC's Barbara Walters.

Typically, those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer have only months to live. But Action News spoke with one Brandon woman, who is a seven year survivor of pancreatic cancer. Her name is Peggy Kessler. In 2000, she says she didn't feel good after finishing a round of golf. At the time, she didn't think much of it. Maybe, she thought, she had food poisoning.

Things changed when her skin turned yellow. She saw a doctor, who told her she had pancreatic cancer and only months to live.

Kessler got her affairs together, but didn't lose hope. She went through several rounds of chemotherapy, which proved profitable. Seven years later and she says she's feeling "terrific." From horseback riding to camping, she loves all things outdoors and is incredibly active. Kessler says a big part of what saved her life was simply remaining positive.

"You need hope when you have cancer and when you're given a death sentence or just, you know, three months to live and there's not hope there, that's really devastating. But when you are given hope and say, 'Yeah. You know, if you're going to fight for your life, we're going to fight with you and we're willing to try this and this.' And you can see somebody giving you hope, it means everything to a cancer patient," said Kessler.

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