Stage 3: 247 Real Stories
247 stories match stage 3. 209 of them mention chemotherapy.
Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Haley’s Survivor Story
Haley Pollack had recently returned from parental leave when extreme fatigue became impossible to ignore. She initially blamed postpartum exhaustion, work, and parenting, but doctors were concerned about anemia. Colonoscopy found what looked like a bleeding…
Read this storyStage III Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Stephanie’s Survivor Story
Stephanie found a small lump in her left breast while self-employed and uninsured. Because she could not ignore the possibility of cancer, she researched options and was connected with the Bridge Breast Network, which helps uninsured and underinsured women in…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Shelley’s Survivor Story
Shelley was 49 when a planned endoscopy and colonoscopy unexpectedly found colon cancer. She had not gone in expecting cancer, but her gastroenterologist quickly arranged blood work, CT imaging, and a next-day surgical appointment. The tumor was in the…
Read this storyStage III HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Tina’s Patient Story
Tina was 37 when she noticed that her right nipple had become sunken. Because her mother had breast cancer twice, she took the change seriously and saw her OB-GYN. A mammogram first seemed routine, but a call-back led to more imaging, ultrasound, and biopsy…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Joanna’s Survivor Story
Joanna developed rectal bleeding, stomachaches, bloating, and food-related discomfort that worsened over about 1.5 years. Because she was young and active, cancer was not initially discussed. She first contacted her gynecologist, then waited months for a…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Catherine’s Patient Story
Catherine was 10 weeks pregnant when persistent rectal bleeding, bloating, and trouble going to the bathroom led to sigmoidoscopy. The procedure found a rectal tumor. Further CT, MRI, and biopsy workup showed Stage III rectal cancer: it had reached lymph…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Maria’s Survivor Story
Maria’s Stage IIIC rectal cancer was first mistaken for other problems. She was tired, lost about 20 pounds, and had a high pulse during a physical for maritime work. Doctors found a bladder infection that would not clear, then later suspected appendicitis…
Read this storyStage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Heidi’s Survivor Story
Heidi was 55, a fitness trainer, and a lifelong health enthusiast when lung cancer was found by accident. In October 2018, she had a CT scan during evaluation of a mildly suspicious ovarian cyst. The ovary was benign, but the chest CT showed a lung mass and…
Read this storyStage III Lung Cancer: Peter’s Survivor Story
Peter was 80 and felt well when he joined the NHS Galleri trial. He had spent 31 years in the police force, stayed active, and had never smoked. After a blood test through the trial, he received a call saying something in his lung needed investigation. MRI…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Ben’s Patient Story
Ben Schultz was 33 when he first told a doctor that he had blood in his stool. The symptom was attributed to constipation. Two years later, it returned and became worse. A different doctor took Ben’s family history seriously and ordered a colonoscopy. On…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Jeffrey’s Survivor Story
Jeffrey had completed prostate cancer treatment in July 2022 and was already committed to routine screening when he went for a scheduled colonoscopy in August 2023. He felt well and expected a normal result, but the doctor found polyps and a significant mass…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Kristen’s Survivor Story
Kristen developed new abdominal pain and severe constipation around the end of April. At first, she wondered if food was the cause, but the episodes kept returning almost every 3 weeks. Doctors repeatedly told her it was IBS-C, even as she struggled to use…
Read this storyStage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Susie’s Survivor Story
Susie started smoking as a teenager because it was what many of her friends did. She tried to give up several times over the years but found it difficult. Later, she developed lung cancer that she directly linked to smoking. The title identifies her diagnosis…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Meagan’s Survivor Story
Meagan was 24, student teaching, and focused on starting her adult life when she noticed small amounts of blood in her stool in August 2024. She assumed it was probably hemorrhoids because the bleeding was not constant or heavy. By February 2025, she brought…
Read this storyStage III EGFR Lung Cancer: Roxanne’s Patient Story
Roxanne was 43, a single mother, and a special needs teacher when lung cancer was found almost by accident. She had gone to her gynecologist for abdominal pain that felt like an ovarian cyst. A CT scan did show a cyst, but it also caught part of her right…
Read this storyStage III HER2-Positive Inflammatory Breast Cancer: Rebecca’s Survivor Story
Rebecca was in her 20s when a pinch in her armpit led her to feel a swollen lymph node. She had had swollen nodes before, so she watched it for a few weeks. When more appeared, she went to several walk-in clinics but felt dismissed as too young and anxious…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Amber’s Survivor Story
Amber Mike was 44 when bleeding after earlier fibroid surgery led her gynecologist to recommend a colonoscopy. She delayed the appointment at first because she was busy traveling for work, but in May 2023 the colonoscopy found a tumor and she was diagnosed…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: John’s Survivor Story
John Murray was 51 when an at-home colorectal cancer screening test came back negative. Over the following years, he had bleeding and pain that he assumed were hemorrhoids. By February 2025, at age 56, he finally scheduled a colonoscopy. The test and…
Read this storyStage III HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Caroline’s Patient Story
Caroline McNally was 30 when a lump under her arm and breast changed quickly enough to make her push for urgent evaluation. Within 3 days, the skin around the lump looked grey and bruised, and she knew it was more than something harmless. Her gynecologist…
Read this storyStage III Ovarian Cancer: Angela’s Patient Story
Angela Hernandez was 32 when she was diagnosed with Stage III ovarian cancer. Before the diagnosis, she had persistent bloating that she initially blamed on a strong course of antibiotics she had recently completed. Her gynecologist initially considered the…
Read this storyStage III Ovarian Cancer: Carla’s Patient Story
Carla Peoples was 65 when she was diagnosed with Stage III ovarian cancer. She first noticed abdominal bloating in December. Because she described herself as a small person, the change was especially visible. Over the following months the swelling became…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Briana’s Survivor Story
Briana was 31, active outdoors, and working in the environmental sector when symptoms began about 10 months before diagnosis. Mild constipation became repeated episodes of nausea, vomiting, lower-left abdominal pain, anemia, and worsening bowel problems. She…
Read this storyStage III MSI-High Colorectal Cancer: Tommy’s Survivor Story
Tommy Allen was 57 when severe stomach pain and bright red blood in his stool led to a colon cancer diagnosis. He first had surgery in June 2019 near home in Alabama, but the surgeon could not remove all the cancer because the tumor was wrapped around…
Read this storyStage III Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Stacy’s Survivor Story
Stacy had received regular mammograms since age 40 and was repeatedly told the results were clear. Dense breast tissue was noted, and automated whole-breast ultrasound was recommended only once. During a 2023 examination, her gynecologist felt that one breast…
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