Stage 1: 130 Real Stories
130 stories match stage 1. 109 of them mention surgery.
Stage I Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Melissa’s Survivor Story
Melissa Berry was 42 when routine high-risk screening found Stage I triple-negative breast cancer. Breast cancer ran strongly on her mother’s side, and Melissa had learned she carried a BRCA mutation. Because of that, she was being followed closely with MRI…
Read this storyStage I Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Melissa’s Survivor Story
Melissa Berry learned she carried a BRCA gene alteration at age 32 after several women on her mother’s side of the family developed breast cancer. The result initially frightened her, but it also led to intensive screening with MRI, mammography and ultrasound…
Read this storyStage I BRCA1 Ovarian Cancer: Carol’s Survivor Story
After treatment for triple-negative breast cancer, this patient tested positive for a BRCA1 mutation and began high-risk gynecologic follow-up. CA-125 levels remained within the normal range, but the gynecologic oncologist recommended risk-reduction removal…
Read this storyStage I Lung Cancer: Terri’s Survivor Story
Terri Ann DiJulio’s lung cancer was first found by accident after she went to the emergency room with chest pressure. Her heart was fine, but imaging showed a nodule in her right lung. The nodule stayed stable for about 2 years, then changed. During surgery…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Carol’s Survivor Story
Carol was 70 when she was diagnosed with invasive lobular breast cancer in July 2022. The cancer was stage 1A and was found early, but the tumor itself could not be felt and was not visible on the mammogram. Calcifications in the same area helped draw…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Gayna’s Survivor Story
Gayna, 57, first noticed flattening on the underside of her left breast. That change led her to seek medical advice, and she was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer. She felt relatively neutral when she first received the news, but the diagnosis still pushed…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Shuyuan’s Patient Story
Shuyuan first found a breast lump during a self-examination in 2021. An ultrasound at a local clinic suggested that it was benign, and she had no other symptoms at the time. In November 2023, the lump became visibly prominent, prompting another medical…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Hu’s Patient Story
Hu Jia, from Taiwan, discovered she had breast cancer in June 2023 after an unusual sequence of events. Her cat kept sniffing her, and about a month later a lump appeared in the swollen area. The diagnosis was confirmed at the hospital and was found at Stage…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Karen’s Patient Story
Karen was 56 when she found a hard lump in her right breast. She did not have other symptoms, but medical evaluation led to a Stage I breast cancer diagnosis in October 2023. Her doctor also discussed an estimated 5-year survival rate of 87%. Even with an…
Read this storyStage I Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Emma’s Patient Story
Emma, a 46-year-old mother of 5 in Ireland, checked her breasts after a conversation with her partner about male breast cancer made her realize she had never done it. She found a lump and then noticed changes in breast shape, pain, nipple discharge…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Catriona’s Survivor Story
Catriona was 62 when bleeding from her nipple led to a stage 1 breast cancer diagnosis in July 2023. She had not expected cancer and was surprised by the news. The experience prompted her to reassess her priorities and how she wanted to use her time…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Toni’s Patient Story
Toni’s breast cancer journey began less than a year before she shared her story, when a new breast lump with occasional sharp pain led her family doctor to recommend a mammogram. The results showed Stage I breast cancer. Toni felt frightened, worried, sad…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Lauren’s Patient Story
Lauren's stage 1 breast cancer was found through a company health screening after a mammogram showed a breast mass. She had not noticed symptoms before the screening. After diagnosis, she changed her diet, began eating more healthfully, and exercised more…
Read this storyStage I Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Tracy’s Patient Story
Tracy was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer after a routine mammogram found the disease before she had noticed any symptoms. She later identified her diagnosis as triple-negative breast cancer. The news initially left her feeling relatively neutral, but…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Transito’s Survivor Story
Transito was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer after seeking medical evaluation because her sister had cancer. She had not noticed symptoms beforehand. The diagnosis brought fear, sadness, nervousness, worry, isolation, and loneliness. Her doctors…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Maria’s Patient Story
Maria was diagnosed with stage I breast cancer while her sister was also undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. The diagnosis brought fear, nervousness, worry, and a sense of being overwhelmed. She tried to remain optimistic through prayer, acceptance…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Yoyo’s Survivor Story
Yoyo learned she had breast cancer after a routine health examination in 2023. She had no symptoms or warning signs before the check-up. Doctors diagnosed Stage I disease, and the unexpected news left her feeling sad, powerless, vulnerable, surprised, and…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Cancer: Angela’s Survivor Story
Angela, who is retired and lives in Ireland, was diagnosed with a Stage I rectal carcinoid in October 2023 after noticing blood in the stool. Cancer had already affected several family members, including Angela’s sister and mother, but Angela remained…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Lorena’s Patient Story
Lorena, a Colombian woman living in Miami, first felt something was wrong during a trip to Spain. Her hands and feet went numb, and although others thought it was travel fatigue, she kept insisting that her body felt different. Back in Miami, her doctor…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Virgie’s Patient Story
Virgie Shaw was 75 when she finally sought care for a left-breast mass she had noticed 15 months earlier. A retired licensed practical nurse, she had delayed evaluation during the COVID-19 pandemic even as the mass grew larger and painful. In April 2021…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Paisley’s Patient Story
Paisley was attending an appointment for an unrelated neck problem when a doctor felt a lump about 4 cm above her left nipple. She had undergone mammography 3 months earlier, but dense breast tissue had obscured the tumor. Ultrasound followed by biopsy…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Sanjana’s Patient Story
Sanjana was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer about 2 years ago after breast thickening, swelling and sudden pain prompted her to seek medical attention. Her treatment journey included chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormone therapy, and she says she…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Anna’s Survivor Story
Anna, 51, noticed a lump and a change in the shape of one breast before being diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer. The diagnosis brought fear, grief, isolation, and financial stress. Her first oncologist recommended lumpectomy, lymphadenectomy, chemotherapy…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Orla’s Patient Story
Orla was 7 months pregnant when she noticed a thick lump in her left breast. She initially thought the change was related to pregnancy, but a family history of breast cancer prompted her to arrange an appointment with her general practitioner. Testing led to…
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