Ovarian Cancer: Kimberly's Patient Story
This ovarian cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Treatment
- surgery and clinical trial
- Outcome
- Living With Cancer
Treatment course, step by step
- She underwent major surgery after her ovarian cancer diagnosis and spent about a month in the hospital.
- After the cancer returned in 2015, she entered a clinical trial that was keeping her in remission when she shared her story.
What happened, in summary
Kimberly Zukerberg described how ovarian cancer abruptly changed a life that had been highly active. Before diagnosis, she taught spin and swimming, ran a summer camp and played tennis. After ovarian cancer and major surgery, she spent about a month in the hospital and had to adjust to needing much more help from family and friends than she expected. Kimberly said she had faced the cancer twice, in 2013 and 2015. By the time she shared her story, she was participating in a clinical trial that was keeping her in remission. She also viewed the disease as something she might have to live with over time, expecting that another recurrence could lead to further treatment. The experience changed how she valued feeling well and how she chose to spend time with family and friends. Kimberly praised the nurses, physicians and supportive services involved in her care and emphasized how different each person’s cancer and treatment can be. Her current remission gave her room to enjoy daily life while remaining realistic about the possibility of future treatment.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by Massachusetts General Hospital. Read the original in full
How we source and attribute stories Accuracy and limitations
These are lay summaries of published cancer stories, for information only. No two cancers behave the same way, and nothing here predicts your own diagnosis or replaces advice from your oncology team. Read the full disclaimer