Stage 3: 247 Real Stories
247 stories match stage 3. 209 of them mention chemotherapy.
Stage III Ovarian Cancer: Mary’s Survivor Story
Mary Catherine Riley was 46 in 2019 when persistent bloating and urinary frequency led to testing that found ovarian cancer. Her specialist diagnosed stage III disease involving lymph nodes, and surgery confirmed low-grade serous ovarian cancer. She then…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Kara’s Survivor Story
Kara Lionetta was caring for 2 young children when her youngest was only 5 months old and she learned that symptoms she had associated with pregnancy and postpartum recovery were actually Stage III rectal cancer. She had experienced extreme exhaustion…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Nicole’s Survivor Story
Nicole was 27, active, and athletic when stomach pain and inconsistent bowel movements started to feel less like routine digestive trouble. At first, she thought it might be IBS, partly because many young women around her talked about stomach issues. The pain…
Read this storyStage III Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Maria’s Patient Story
Maria first noticed a painful breast lump and thought it might be a cyst related to a previous surgery. Over time, the symptoms became harder to ignore. She described dimpling, darkening, burning sensations, redness, and a lump large enough to show through a…
Read this storyStage III Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Paula’s Survivor Story
Paula Jones was 43 when a routine mammogram in February 2010 found a small spot in her left breast that she could not feel and her doctor could not detect by exam. Because she had lost her mother to breast cancer at age 7, Paula had started screening in her…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Ian’s Survivor Story
Ian was 38 when unusual fatigue and blood in his stool led him to the emergency room in late November 2022. His wife and sister pushed him to act quickly, and the ER doctor took the symptoms seriously. A CT scan showed a mass or narrowing in the colon. When a…
Read this storyStage III Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Lynn’s Survivor Story
Lynn Leiro was 36 when back pain, fatigue and then a lump in her armpit led to a Stage IIIC triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis in 2022. Imaging showed five breast tumors and a swollen lymph node; a later CT scan found more cancerous lymph nodes in her…
Read this storyStage III HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Courtney’s Patient Story
Courtney was 37 and pregnant with her 3rd child when she first found a lump in her left breast in February 2022. Ultrasound showed a 5 mm hypoechoic mass that was considered probably benign, and mammogram did not show it because of dense breast tissue. She…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Paige’s Patient Story
Paige Cipher was 25 and living in Denver when she shared her Stage III rectal cancer story. Her first symptom had started months earlier: blood in her stool around September 2024. She was otherwise healthy, active, and exercising regularly, so the symptom did…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Jackson’s Survivor Story
Jackson was 2 days away from turning 26 and 3 weeks away from the bar exam when abdominal pain, vomiting, and dehydration sent him to the emergency room on July 3, 2024. A CT scan showed narrowing in the colon and concern for a tumor. He had an emergency…
Read this storyStage III Lung Cancer: Alexis’s Survivor Story
Alexis was 29 and living in San Francisco when a possible heart issue led to the discovery of lung cancer. She had noticed shortness of breath and chest discomfort but thought anxiety might explain it. Because her father had been misdiagnosed with a genetic…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: James’s Survivor Story
James had years of rectal bleeding that was repeatedly treated as hemorrhoids before he pushed for a colonoscopy himself. He was diagnosed with rectal cancer in 2003, later describing it as Stage IIIC/IV. At first, doctors did not know the full extent of…
Read this storyStage III HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Tanya’s Patient Story
Tanya was 44 when she was diagnosed in 2016 with Stage IIIA invasive lobular carcinoma in her left breast. She had noticed a painful lump for about 1 year, but her first concern was dismissed because she had no family history and was told breast cancer was…
Read this storyStage III HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Christine’s Survivor Story
Christine was 31 when she noticed a visible divot and a large, hard, immovable lump in her breast. Imaging and biopsy confirmed stage 3 triple-positive breast cancer. MRI measured the tumor at nearly 8 cm and showed at least 2 involved lymph nodes, with 4…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Chloe’s Survivor Story
Chloe’s Stage III colon cancer was found in early 2024 after symptoms that kept getting worse. She had bloating and stomach problems, then weight loss, fatigue, lack of appetite, and abdominal swelling. Because she already had anemia, some symptoms were first…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Chloe’s Survivor Story
Chloe was 26 and living in the UK when weeks of stomach symptoms were repeatedly treated as gastroenteritis. She had weight loss, poor appetite, vomiting, dehydration, swelling, and worsening abdominal pain, but early tests did not explain what was happening…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Mark’s Survivor Story
Mark was 35 when cramping episodes in 2020 led him toward a Stage IIIB colon cancer diagnosis. At first, doctors thought the pain might be appendicitis, but Mark felt that explanation did not fit what was happening in his body. He kept pushing for more…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Courtney’s Survivor Story
Courtney Vigars was 27 when she noticed blood in her stool while preparing for her wedding in 2019. She initially attributed it to stress, and a clinician suggested hemorrhoids, but the bleeding continued and became heavier. A colonoscopy found a rectal mass…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Mark’s Survivor Story
Mark was 35 when repeated severe right-sided cramps pushed him to seek answers. An emergency-room visit ruled out appendicitis, but he still felt something was wrong and followed up with a gastroenterologist. A colonoscopy found a mass on the right side of…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Heather’s Survivor Story
Heather Russell was 35 when months of blood in her stool and thinner stools led to a colonoscopy on her birthday in March 2020. A local clinician had previously suggested hemorrhoids, and Heather delayed the procedure even as symptoms worsened. Her younger…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Edie’s Survivor Story
Edie was 52 when a positive Cologuard test led to a Stage IIIB colorectal cancer diagnosis. For years, she had dealt with constipation, but she had linked it to medication, scoliosis, and everyday explanations. When she turned 50, her doctor recommended…
Read this storyStage III HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Katie’s Patient Story
Katie, a nurse in Cleveland, was 38 when she was diagnosed with Stage III invasive lobular carcinoma in March 2024. She had been referred to a high-risk breast clinic because her mother and 2 sisters had developed breast cancer, but her first mammogram and…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Katie’s Survivor Story
Katie’s Stage IIIB colon cancer was found after symptoms that did not look like classic bowel cancer at first. She had extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, and heartburn, but no blood in her stool or obvious gastrointestinal changes. Because she was active…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Katie’s Survivor Story
Katie’s Stage IIIB transverse colon cancer was found after months of fatigue and severe anemia rather than classic bowel symptoms. Emergency-room testing did not show blood in her stool, and she initially tried iron pills and then iron infusions. The…
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