Gastric Cancer: 66 Real Stories
66 stories match gastric cancer. 46 of them mention surgery.
Stage III Gastric Cancer: Alina’s Survivor Story
Alina described feeling frightened, nervous, and worried after learning about a Stage III gastric cancer diagnosis. The experience also brought disbelief, resentment, and periods of emotional numbness. After diagnosis, Alina began eating more healthfully and…
Read this storyStage I Gastric Cancer: Allen’s Patient Story
Allen Wang sought medical care in 2008 after noticing an unusual feeling in his stomach. An endoscopy and biopsy showed stomach cancer. A community surgeon recommended removing about two-thirds of his stomach through a large incision, but Allen wanted a…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Christopher’s Survivor Story
Christopher Lynch was 51 when a headache, vomiting, difficulty eating, and balance problems led him to seek care in early 2016. An endoscopic procedure found stomach cancer, and an MRI then showed a large, deep tumor in his left cerebellum. The brain tumor…
Read this storyStage IV Gastric Cancer: Derek’s Patient Story
An emergency physician and Pain Medicine Fellow in upstate New York was diagnosed with Stage IV stomach cancer in July 2024. Treatment began locally, but he sought second opinions from several institutions before deciding to enroll in a clinical trial at UT…
Read this storyStage IV Gastric Adenocarcinoma: Derek’s Survivor Story
Derek Cooney, an emergency physician, was 48 when difficulty eating and drinking led to testing and a diagnosis of diffuse gastric adenocarcinoma. A laparoscopy showed that the cancer had spread to his peritoneum, making it Stage IV. Derek began with 8 rounds…
Read this storyStage I Gastric Cancer: Sarah’s Survivor Story
At 25, this patient learned through genetic testing that they carried a CDH1 mutation, which substantially increased the risk of stomach cancer. Because stomach cancer can be difficult to detect early in people with this mutation, they chose a preventive…
Read this storyStage IV Gastric Cancer: Mark’s Patient Story
Mark Scragg knew cancer risk ran in his family after he and several relatives learned they had Lynch syndrome. In May 2021, persistent fatigue and stomach pain led him to move up his yearly endoscopy and colonoscopy. Doctors found a stomach tumor, 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 Gastric Cancer: Sagan’s Patient Story
Sagan was evaluated after digestive symptoms led to blood testing and an endoscopy, where doctors found a stomach mass. MRI was also used to assess whether the cancer had spread. The eventual diagnosis was Stage II stomach cancer. Sagan already lived with a…
Read this storyStage IV Gastric Adenocarcinoma: Angel’s Survivor Story
Angel had months of heartburn, reflux, bloating and feeling full quickly before seeking medical care. Over-the-counter medicines had seemed enough at first, but further evaluation in December 2023 led to a diagnosis of Stage IV stomach cancer, specifically…
Read this storyStage II Gastric Adenocarcinoma: Cece’s Survivor Story
Cece, a former nurse in Ireland, noticed one new symptom: difficulty swallowing. Because Cece was very fit and felt the symptom was unusual, medical evaluation followed quickly. In September 2023, Cece was diagnosed with Stage II stomach cancer, specifically…
Read this storyStage IV Gastric Cancer: Rachel’s Patient Story
Rachel Orth was 33 with three young children when surgery for what doctors thought was a benign ovarian mass revealed cancer in December 2020. She later learned that she had metastatic gastric cancer. The diagnosis came during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Alan’s Patient Story
Alan Salm, known as Al, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in spring 2019. He received chemotherapy every 2 weeks for 2 years while continuing to travel and make memories with his wife and teenage son. Surgeons later attempted to remove his stomach, but the…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Daniel’s Patient Story
Daniel ‘Joe’ Einspahr noticed a persistent sensation of hunger in 2018 that did not improve after eating. An endoscopy showed stomach cancer, interrupting a multi-year cross-country bicycle trip he had been completing with his son. Joe received 3 rounds of…
Read this storyStage IV Gastric Cancer: Jeanne’s Patient Story
Jeanne Guercia had recently turned 70 when her daughter shared her story. Jeanne had taught English at Chalmette High School for many years and had expected to continue teaching, but stomach cancer forced her to retire. For more than 6 months, she had…
Read this storyStage IV Gastric Cancer: Karen’s Patient Story
Karen Lucas began having difficulty eating and losing weight while recovering from shingles in 2012. When the problems worsened, her family encouraged her to have an endoscopy. A mass was found at the gastroesophageal junction, and she was diagnosed with…
Read this storyStage IV Gastric Adenocarcinoma: Doran’s Patient Story
Doran Barro was a healthy, active 75-year-old woman living in Arizona when she began feeling acid reflux, early fullness after only a few bites, nausea, and a tightening sensation in her stomach in March 2014. After repeated testing, she was diagnosed on May…
Read this storyGastric Adenocarcinoma: Alan’s Patient Story
Alan Gorman was diagnosed with signet cell adenocarcinoma of the stomach in March 2014 at age 50. Symptoms had begun about 7 months earlier with chest pain. Initial X-rays and blood tests appeared normal, and acid-reflux treatment was started. As the symptoms…
Read this storyGastric Adenocarcinoma: Donny’s Patient Story
Donny had experienced symptoms since 2004, but repeated endoscopy, colonoscopy, ultrasound, and X-ray examinations did not identify the cause. Years later, he left work feeling severely ill with what seemed like flu. The next morning, he was taken to the…
Read this storyStage IV Gastric Cancer: Patricia’s Patient Story
Patricia Etienne was diagnosed with Stage IV gastric cancer in June 2020 at age 59. She had considered herself healthy, worked as a group fitness instructor, and had no underlying conditions. The diagnosis initially left her fearful and defeated. Over the…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Tony’s Patient Story
Tony was 69 when he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. He died on July 24, 2013, only 2 months later and less than 1 month before his 70th birthday. Chemotherapy could only be given while he was an outpatient. Although he was released from hospital, repeated…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Bob’s Survivor Story
Bob Ward was diagnosed with stomach cancer at an early stage and underwent total gastrectomy. A little more than 2 years after surgery, he reported being cancer-free. Recovery remained difficult. Bob struggled with eating and drinking, nausea, and maintaining…
Read this storyStage IV Gastric Cancer: Buddy’s Patient Story
Shortly after turning 72, Buddy began having serious difficulty eating and increasing fatigue. In July, he was diagnosed with cancer at the gastroesophageal junction, where the stomach and esophagus meet. The disease was Stage IV and had spread to an adrenal…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Sundar’s Survivor Story
Sundar Matpadi was diagnosed with stomach cancer in August 2012 at age 46. Sundar underwent total gastrectomy the following month, followed by 92 days of oral chemotherapy and 30 days of radiation. Treatment ended in May 2013. The treatment and recovery…
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