Stage 1: 130 Real Stories
130 stories match stage 1. 109 of them mention surgery.
Stage I HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Erica’s Survivor Story
Erica was 46 when a routine mammogram changed the course of her life. She had delayed screening in her early 40s because of procedural anxiety, but after encouragement from her doctor and a close friend, she began annual mammograms. Her 2022, 2023, and 2024…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Tammy’s Survivor Story
Tammy McDevitt had years of normal mammograms, even though repeated letters warned that dense breast tissue could make cancer harder to detect. In September 2024, her annual screening mammogram at Cleveland Clinic found a subtle abnormality. Follow-up…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Cancer: Jessica’s Survivor Story
Jessica was diagnosed with Lynch syndrome in February 2023 after genetic testing connected to family-planning discussions and a strong family cancer history. That result became crucial when bowel symptoms worsened. She had constipation, abdominal pain, blood…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Angela’s Patient Story
Angela George was 42 when family history led her to take a closer look at her cancer risk. Her father had recently been diagnosed with colon cancer, and several relatives had also had cancer, including her mother and grandmother with breast cancer. In July…
Read this storyStage I Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Melissa’s Survivor Story
Melissa Eppard is a Stage I triple-negative breast cancer survivor whose story focuses on reclaiming comfort, pleasure, and confidence after cancer. As a cancer thriver, coach, and co-founder of Upstate Mary, she speaks openly about intimacy concerns that…
Read this storyStage I Gastric Cancer: Sarah’s Survivor Story
At 25, this patient learned through genetic testing that they carried a CDH1 mutation, which substantially increased the risk of stomach cancer. Because stomach cancer can be difficult to detect early in people with this mutation, they chose a preventive…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Krista’s Patient Story
Krista’s breast cancer journey began with her mother’s history. Her mother had breast cancer twice and later learned she carried a pathogenic ATM mutation. After her mother died, Krista chose genetic testing and found that she carried the same mutation…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Cancer: Monica’s Survivor Story
Monica Dean was 46, a San Diego news anchor, and a mother of 3 when a routine first colonoscopy changed her life. She felt healthy, had no symptoms, and did not have an immediate family history of colorectal cancer. A conversation with someone who regretted…
Read this storyStage I HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Mandy’s Patient Story
Mandy was 44 and raising 2 children when a routine mammogram in April 2024 led to more imaging. She had recently lost about 30 pounds, so she was not alarmed when she was called back for a diagnostic mammogram on May 28. After several rounds of images, the…
Read this storyStage I Lung Cancer: Calvin’s Survivor Story
Calvin was 33 when he was diagnosed with Stage I lung cancer after years of breathing problems that had been treated as adult asthma. The pattern began around 2016, after he became very sick during work travel to Germany and was treated for pneumonia. Over…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Cancer: Rashawn’s Survivor Story
Rashawn, a mother of 4 from Augusta, Georgia, was diagnosed with Stage I colorectal cancer in 2014. Her first warning signs were persistent fatigue and blood in her stool. A colonoscopy found a golf-ball-sized mass in her colon, and it was confirmed to be…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Cancer: Rashawn’s Survivor Story
Rashawn Mitchell was 39 when fatigue and ice cravings became impossible to ignore. In February 2014, she was late to work repeatedly because she could barely get up in the morning. Her doctor suspected low hemoglobin and found blood in her stool during an…
Read this storyStage I HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Janelle’s Patient Story
Janelle was 41 and living near Baltimore when a routine mammogram in May 2024 showed increased calcifications in her right breast. She had known about a right-breast lump since age 17, when ultrasound called it a benign cyst, and she had started mammograms…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Cancer: Jay’s Survivor Story
Jay Trevino was 48 when a routine screening test unexpectedly led to a colon cancer diagnosis on June 14, 2024. After a change in health insurance, he had to find a new primary care physician. The new doctor recommended a Cologuard test for colon cancer…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Jessica’s Patient Story
Jessica, a pediatrician in Houston, was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma at 43. In early 2024, she had menstrual changes and left nipple pain, and her primary care doctor ordered blood work, a mammogram, and diagnostic ultrasound. A March 25…
Read this storyStage I EGFR Lung Adenocarcinoma: Phuong’s Survivor Story
In 2019, Dr. Phuong Ho developed a mild cough and chest tightness that did not improve with inhalers. Chest X-rays and lung function tests were normal, but her symptoms continued. A pulmonologist later ordered a CT scan, which found an almost 2-centimeter…
Read this storyStage I HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Allison’s Survivor Story
Allison Tierney is an oncology dietitian and breast cancer survivor who shared her experience with cold capping during treatment for Stage IA triple-positive breast cancer. The video focused less on diagnosis and more on how she managed chemotherapy-related…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Judith’s Survivor Story
Judith had a strong family history of breast cancer, including grandmothers, her mother, and her 21-year-old daughter. As a biologist, she was careful about diet, exercise, time outdoors, spiritual practice, and stress, and she knew that dense breasts could…
Read this storyStage I Breast Adenocarcinoma: Debbie’s Survivor Story
Debbie Wade had abnormal nipple discharge for almost 4 years before her Stage I breast cancer diagnosis. Starting in 2017, she noticed blood-tinged fluid from her left breast. Biopsy showed intraductal papillomas, and a surgeon removed them, but discharge…
Read this storyStage I Lung Cancer: Lauren’s Patient Story
Lauren Koy was 25 when years of breathing problems finally led to a lung cancer diagnosis. Since childhood, she had been treated for asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, sinus infections, and upper-respiratory infections. She often wheezed, spiked unexplained…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Ger’s Survivor Story
Ger, a part-time retail assistant in Ireland, was diagnosed with Stage I colon adenocarcinoma through a bowel screening program in May 2024. There had been no symptoms, so the diagnosis came as a surprise. Ger also felt sadness and fear because 3 workmates…
Read this storyStage I Lung Cancer: Debra’s Survivor Story
Debra Haberstroh went to the emergency room over the 2023 New Year’s holiday after her oxygen level dropped to 85%. Because she had asthma and felt poorly, the emergency physician ordered a CT scan to look for pneumonia. Instead, the scan found a tumor in her…
Read this storyStage I Lung Cancer: Lauren’s Survivor Story
Lauren had years of worsening breathing problems that were treated as asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, sinus infections, and upper respiratory infections. By late 2021, she had high fevers, a chronic wheeze, and a collapsed lung. She pushed for a CT scan…
Read this storyStage I Lung Cancer: Lauren’s Survivor Story
Lauren Koy lived with breathing problems for much of her life before lung cancer was found. She had chronic wheezing, repeated bronchitis and pneumonia, and difficulty doing the activities she enjoyed, including running and hiking. Because she was young and…
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