Surgery for Gastric Cancer: 46 Real Stories
46 stories match gastric cancer and surgery. 32 of them mention gastrectomy.
Stage II Gastric Cancer: Drew’s Patient Story
Drew sought medical care after experiencing stomach pain, and an endoscopy was recommended in part because gastric cancer had affected other family members. The evaluation confirmed Stage II stomach cancer. Drew later shared that a father and uncle had also…
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 storyGastric Cancer: Connie’s Survivor Story
Connie Campbell had an upper endoscopy after an 8-day hospital stay for a perforated bowel and years of acid reflux. The examination found a cancerous polyp in her stomach, which was removed during the procedure. Pathology could not determine whether cancer…
Read this storyStage III Gastric Cancer: Holly’s Patient Story
Holly Clegg was a cookbook author and culinary expert who had spent years helping people eat well during cancer treatment. On August 8, 2018, after only 5 days of symptoms, she was diagnosed with stomach cancer despite having no known risk factors. She…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Brian’s Survivor Story
Brian learned he had stomach cancer in June 2019 after a severe episode of food poisoning led to a hospital visit. The diagnosis came unexpectedly, and Brian described feeling sad but accepting the news. Treatment consisted of a partial gastrectomy to remove…
Read this storyStage III Gastric Adenocarcinoma: Harrison’s Survivor Story
In 2018, Harrison developed persistent stomach discomfort after meals, occasional nausea, early fullness and an unplanned weight loss of about 10 pounds. A gastroenterologist performed an upper endoscopy within 2 weeks, and biopsies confirmed gastric…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Do’s Survivor Story
At age 78, Do Lee faced stomach cancer after already losing his wife of almost 40 years to the same disease. Her cancer had been Stage IV, and watching her treatment initially made Do reluctant to undergo similar care himself. Persistent severe diarrhea…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Hans’s Patient Story
This patient was diagnosed with stomach cancer in July 2005 and ultimately had both the stomach and esophagus surgically removed. The cancer journey was followed by a long recovery: over the next 10 years, the patient underwent 12 surgeries and was left with…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Hans’s Patient Story
This patient was diagnosed with stomach cancer in July 2005, the day before his 33rd birthday, after chest tightness and difficulty swallowing led him to the emergency room. Doctors found a tumor at the junction of his stomach and esophagus. During surgery…
Read this storyStage I Gastric Cancer: Marne’s Patient Story
Marne Shafer was 33 when genetic testing showed that she carried a CDH1 mutation after several relatives, including her father, grandmother and aunt, died from stomach cancer. Because early stomach cancer can be difficult to detect in people with this…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Amanda’s Survivor Story
Amanda knew that a CDH1 gene mutation ran in the family and increased the risk of both hereditary diffuse gastric cancer and breast cancer. Amanda’s mother had breast cancer, while a sister and brother had gastric cancer. After testing positive for the…
Read this storyStage I Gastric Cancer Patient Story
One of two sisters from a family affected by stomach, colorectal, and breast cancer tested positive for a CDH1 mutation in early 2016. The sisters were ages 31 and 34 when they faced the decision together. Their doctors explained that hereditary diffuse…
Read this storyStage I Gastric Cancer Patient Story
The second of two sisters from a family affected by stomach, colorectal, and breast cancer tested positive for a CDH1 mutation in early 2016. The women were ages 31 and 34 when they faced the decision together. Because reliable screening for hereditary…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Ralph’s Survivor Story
At 58, this patient began having repeated episodes of extreme fatigue. A blood test showed very low hemoglobin, and transfusions helped temporarily, but the fatigue kept returning. After several transfusions, further investigation identified stomach cancer as…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Sandra’s Patient Story
Sandra Sankar Poukkula was diagnosed with gastric cancer in 2011. She became proactive about stomach-cancer awareness and research as her family sought answers about a pattern of young gastric-cancer deaths. Sandra underwent total gastrectomy in an effort to…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Sandra’s Patient Story
Sandra Sankar Poukkula was diagnosed with gastric cancer at age 39. Genetic testing identified a CDH1 mutation inherited from her father. Her brother had previously died from gastric cancer at age 37, giving the diagnosis a strong family context. Sandra…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Adriana’s Patient Story
Adriana Walsh lost her father, Steve, to stomach cancer in 2006 when she was 13. In 2009, genetic testing showed that Adriana carried the same CDH1 mutation associated with her family’s cancer history. An endoscopy in August later found evidence of stomach…
Read this storyGastric Cancer Patient Story
Jessica’s mother was diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer in the summer of 2004 after an endoscopy for persistent gastrointestinal pain. She underwent surgery that removed two-thirds of her stomach and one-third of her esophagus. Recovery was complicated by…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Gretchen’s Survivor Story
Gretchen Borzi learned in 2009 that she carried a germline CDH1 mutation, placing her at very high risk for hereditary diffuse gastric cancer. After considering the recommendation for preventive surgery, she underwent total gastrectomy in July 2011 at age 40…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Sara’s Patient Story
Sara Souto Strom built her career around understanding why people develop cancer and what influences survival. In 2002, that work became personal when an acid taste in her mouth led her to have an endoscopy. The test revealed early-stage stomach cancer. Sara…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Johanna’s Patient Story
Johanna Chelcun was 26 when she underwent total gastrectomy because hereditary diffuse gastric cancer affected her family. Preoperative screening had not found abnormalities, but pathology after surgery identified 32 cancerous lesions in her stomach. Recovery…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Laura’s Patient Story
Laura McFetridge Ayala learned at age 22 that she carried a CDH1 mutation linked to hereditary diffuse gastric cancer. Five months later, a biopsy found cancer, which affected the timing of her surgery. She underwent total gastrectomy in August 2011, becoming…
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