Stage 2: 191 Real Stories
191 stories match stage 2. 165 of them mention surgery.
Stage II Colorectal Cancer: Kristin’s Survivor Story
Kristin had lived with IBS-like digestive problems for years, but in March 2021 her symptoms changed. Bloating, constipation, and right-sided abdominal pain became more intense, then returned with fever, sweating, nausea, vomiting, and pain worse than…
Read this storyStage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Chance’s Survivor Story
Chance was 24 and already knew she carried a BRCA1 mutation when she saw a lump protruding from her chest during a beach trip. A January 2021 MRI had looked normal, so the sudden change felt alarming. Her care team moved quickly: ultrasound, mammogram, MRI…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Tracy’s Survivor Story
Tracy was 41 when she was diagnosed with Stage IIB colorectal cancer. She had lived with digestive problems for years, including bloating, inflammation, and intermittent bleeding that was often attributed to irritable bowel syndrome or hemorrhoids. During a…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Karen’s Survivor Story
Karen moved from Seattle to Honolulu in July 2023 to lead an oncology service line. Two months later, at age 43, she found a breast lump despite having had a clear screening mammogram 9 months earlier. She had dense breast tissue and a family history of young…
Read this storyStage II ALK Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Stephanie’s Survivor Story
Stephanie’s lung cancer story began with a mild cough in spring 2021. She thought it might be allergies or weather-related, but when it persisted, she mentioned it during a routine check-up. A chest X-ray showed a lung mass, and a CT scan showed a spiculated…
Read this storyStage II ALK Lung Adenocarcinoma: Stephanie’s Patient Story
Stephanie Williams developed a mild but persistent cough in spring 2021. At a yearly primary care visit, she asked for a chest X-ray. The image showed a cloudy area on her right side, and a same-day CT scan described a large spiculated mass that was highly…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: India’s Survivor Story
India Robinson was 40 when her first mammogram in August 2022 led to more imaging, ultrasound, and 2 biopsies. On October 25, her birthday, she learned that 1 biopsied area was malignant. Within days, she and her family met with a Cleveland Clinic team to…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Carmen’s Patient Story
Carmen noticed blood in the urine and stool in January 2025 and sought medical attention within a few days. A family doctor referred Carmen to a specialist, and colonoscopy confirmed Stage II colon adenocarcinoma. Carmen describes being in the 40s at…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Casandra’s Survivor Story
Casandra had persistent abdominal pain that caused significant discomfort. Although the symptoms were initially thought to be irritable bowel syndrome, Casandra remained concerned that something more serious was being missed. After about 2 years of raising…
Read this storyStage II Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Lauren’s Survivor Story
Lauren found a lump in her right breast during a self-exam and quickly contacted her doctor. She was referred to radiology for an ultrasound and biopsy, which led to a diagnosis of invasive ductal breast cancer. Her cancer was Stage II. At first, a sentinel…
Read this storyStage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Italia’s Survivor Story
Italia Russell was 30 when she found a breast lump in August 2023, 1 month after learning she carried a BRCA mutation that increased her lifetime breast cancer risk. Her mother had been treated 15 years earlier for Stage II triple-negative breast cancer and…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Maddee’s Survivor Story
Maddee Moore was diagnosed with Stage II colon cancer in February 2023 after months of fatigue, abdominal pain, burning sensations, shortness of breath on hills, dizziness, and anemia. Because she had a history of gastrointestinal problems after a prior…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Maddee’s Survivor Story
Maddee was diagnosed with Stage II colon cancer in February 2023 after months of symptoms that did not fit her active lifestyle. She first noticed fatigue and intermittent abdominal pain in December 2022. The symptoms then escalated to burning stomach pain…
Read this storyStage II Lung Cancer: Att’s Patient Story
Att Callahan was 70 when months of coughing, followed by coughing up blood, led to testing and a Stage IIB lung cancer diagnosis. She did not smoke, was not overweight, and considered herself healthy, so the diagnosis was confusing and frightening. At MD…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Kelsey’s Patient Story
Kelsey Harrison was diagnosed with Stage II estrogen-positive breast cancer at age 27 after noticing a tender lump during a yoga session. Imaging showed a large tumor, about 5 cm, and abnormal lymph nodes. She had no known family history or genetic…
Read this storyStage II Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Lizzie’s Survivor Story
In October 2020, Lizzie noticed an area in her right breast that felt similar to the dense tissue she had felt before, but this time it did not change with her monthly cycle. Her routine screening had been delayed during COVID, leaving 19 months between…
Read this storyStage II EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Daniel’s Survivor Story
Daniel West’s lung nodules were found unexpectedly in 2022 when he used a workplace opportunity to have cardiac testing after his father’s death from a heart attack. CT and PET imaging showed a concerning nodule in the middle lobe of his right lung, and…
Read this storyStage II Gastric Cancer: Irasema’s Survivor Story
Irasema Partida Chavez was 34 when months of heartburn, indigestion, nausea, fatigue, and weight loss eventually led to an endoscopy in 2015. Biopsies showed stomach cancer. She underwent a partial gastrectomy that removed 80% of her stomach, and surgery…
Read this storyStage II Lung Cancer: Ed’s Survivor Story
Ed Ackerman was 61 and felt healthy when a day-long Cleveland Clinic executive physical unexpectedly found a spot in the lower right lung. He had recently received reassuring results from other routine examinations and had no symptoms. A repeat CT scan showed…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Savannah’s Survivor Story
Savannah Kaspar was 26 when abdominal pain, severe constipation, and bloody stools pushed her to seek answers. A colonoscopy in August found a mass in her sigmoid colon. It was first described as noncancerous, but Savannah came to MD Anderson, where imaging…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Allison’s Patient Story
Allison Tierney, an oncology dietitian in Wisconsin, found a breast lump shortly after finishing breastfeeding her 2nd child. Because she was only 10 days postpartum from nursing, the lump could have been a clogged duct, but it continued to worry her. Imaging…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: John’s Survivor Story
John Johnson was 35 and training seriously as a runner when rectal bleeding led to a Stage II rectal cancer diagnosis. At first, he thought the bleeding might be hemorrhoids. When it worsened, he saw his physician, who recommended a colonoscopy. The…
Read this storyStage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Chance’s Survivor Story
Chance Osborne was 24 when she was diagnosed with Stage II triple-negative breast cancer, a diagnosis made more complicated by a family history of cancer and a BRCA1 mutation. Being young did not protect her from aggressive disease, and her story became a…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Dorian’s Survivor Story
Dorian de Salvo was active, working out 5 to 6 times a week, when she began gaining weight without a clear reason. One doctor dismissed her concerns, but another ran blood work that suggested something could be wrong. While traveling for work, Dorian found a…
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