Stage 1: 130 Real Stories
130 stories match stage 1. 109 of them mention surgery.
Stage I Lung Cancer: Dave’s Survivor Story
Dave Bjork’s lung cancer was found in the late 1990s, when his doctor called and told him a tumor had been found. Even though the cancer was Stage I and localized, the diagnosis immediately made him think about dying, life insurance, his wife, and his…
Read this storyStage I Lung Cancer: Bonnie’s Survivor Story
Bonnie Ulrich loved family, fun, and staying active, including weightlifting. When she developed shooting pain down her arm, she first thought it was from physical strain. Because she had a smoking history, her doctor routinely checked chest X-rays. This…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Kim’s Survivor Story
Kim Brisky had worked at Cleveland Clinic Martin Health for 24 years, but being a nurse did not prepare her emotionally for her own Stage I breast cancer diagnosis. After a diagnostic mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy, she learned she had ductal carcinoma that…
Read this storyStage I HER2-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Tammy’s Patient Story
Tammy was first diagnosed with Stage 0 DCIS, or ductal carcinoma in situ. After surgery, her pathology report found a second tumor: Stage I invasive ductal carcinoma. She had already undergone a double mastectomy and was waiting for one final test result when…
Read this storyStage I EGFR Lung Adenocarcinoma: Ashley’s Patient Story
Ashley Stringer was 34 when shortness of breath on the treadmill led to a lung cancer diagnosis. An X-ray showed a suspicious spot on her left lung, and biopsy confirmed Stage IA adenocarcinoma. Tumor testing showed the cancer was EGFR-positive. Because only…
Read this storyStage I Lung Cancer: Dave’s Survivor Story
Dave Bjork was in his mid-30s, active, and a non-smoker when a case of pneumonia led to a lung cancer diagnosis. He had become sick during a cold fishing trip in Maine and was treated with antibiotics after a chest X-ray. Because the abnormal finding remained…
Read this storyStage I HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Betty’s Survivor Story
Betty, 59, sought medical attention after noticing white spots around her nipple. Testing showed Stage I breast cancer. The diagnosis was frightening and made her worry about dying too young, especially because cancer had affected other members of her family…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Stella’s Patient Story
Stella sought evaluation after developing redness and flaky skin on her breast, especially because two maternal aunts had breast cancer. A mammogram led to a diagnosis of Stage I breast cancer. Fear, anxiety and worry were prominent at first, and she…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Tia’s Survivor Story
Tia’s breast cancer was discovered unexpectedly during a routine health examination more than 3 years before she shared her story. A mobile mammogram found a tumor even though she had no symptoms, and she was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer. Tia sought a…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Tina’s Patient Story
Tina sought medical care after noticing discharge from her nipple and was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer. The diagnosis brought fear, helplessness, worry, and grief. Her doctors recommended a lumpectomy, and she agreed to the surgery. Chemotherapy was…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Mariana’s Patient Story
Mariana was diagnosed with stage I breast cancer through a health examination after also experiencing a pricking pain. Her family history included two cousins with breast cancer and two cousins with leukemia. She felt emotionally neutral when first given the…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Melissa’s Patient Story
Melissa, from Australia, initially thought pain and twinges around her ribs might be fractures. Her general practitioner ordered a chest X-ray and also suggested her first mammogram and breast ultrasound. The testing found stage 1 breast cancer in 2021. The…
Read this storyStage I Lung Cancer: Deborah’s Patient Story
Deborah Schroeder had smoked for more than 35 years before quitting in 2009, but she still never expected lung cancer. Since then, she has been diagnosed with Stage I lung cancer 3 separate times. The first diagnosis came in summer 2013 after unusual chest…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Deborah’s Patient Story
Deborah Brown was 69 when a routine mammogram on March 2, 2020, found a suspicious area in her breast just as COVID-19 was beginning to shut down New York City. Follow-up ultrasound, bilateral mammogram and biopsy on March 17 confirmed Stage I breast cancer…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Audrey’s Patient Story
Audrey, 66, had a strong family history of cancer: her mother had breast cancer, her sister had endometrial cancer, and her father had prostate cancer. She had previously undergone a left-breast quadrantectomy in 2010, with milk ducts removed to prevent…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Jana’s Survivor Story
Jana learned she had Stage I colon adenocarcinoma in July 2020 after stabbing stomach pain, blood in her stool, weight loss and feeling unwell led to further testing. At first, she was told the cancer might also involve her liver and lungs, which made the…
Read this storyStage I Gastric Adenocarcinoma: Kaisu’s Survivor Story
Kaisu, a retired nurse in the United States, had experienced mild difficulty swallowing years before the cancer diagnosis. An earlier endoscopy had shown intestinal metaplasia and follow-up was advised. When another endoscopy was eventually performed, a…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Susanna’s Patient Story
Susanna sought medical attention after noticing a swollen breast and was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer. The diagnosis came as a shock and brought fear, helplessness, worry and confusion about what might happen next. Her doctor recommended…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Cindy’s Survivor Story
Cindy was 45 when redness and flaky skin on her breast made her feel that something was not normal. At her annual mammogram, doctors found a small mass, and her gynecologist confirmed stage 1 breast cancer. She was frightened and worried about what the…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Cancer: Aloysius’s Patient Story
Aloysius had no cancer symptoms when a routine medical checkup led his doctor to recommend further testing. The additional evaluation eventually resulted in a diagnosis of Stage I colorectal cancer. Following the diagnosis, he underwent a partial colectomy to…
Read this storyStage I BRCA Breast Cancer Patient Story
N had no breast symptoms when her family doctor recommended mammography after menopause. Her mother had experienced breast cancer, although N reported no inherited BRCA finding. Extra mammogram images and an urgent ultrasound led to a direct diagnosis of…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Cancer: Andy’s Survivor Story
A routine colonoscopy a few years ago led to Andy’s diagnosis of Stage I colorectal cancer. Doctors said the 5-year survival rate was 90%, which offered some reassurance, but the diagnosis still brought fear, surprise, nervousness and worry, especially…
Read this storyStage I Ovarian Cancer: Mary’s Survivor Story
Mary “Dicey” Jackson Scroggins spent about 2 years dealing with abdominal bloating, weight gain, frequent urination and heavy menstrual bleeding before ovarian cancer was discovered. In September 1996, at age 46, she underwent a hysterectomy for fibroids and…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Suzanne’s Patient Story
Suzanne Kulliver had only just completed treatment for colon cancer when a routine annual mammogram in December 2015 led to another major diagnosis. Her doctor requested an ultrasound and biopsy, and Suzanne learned that she had breast cancer. The tumor was…
Read this story