Chemotherapy: 963 Real Stories
963 stories match chemotherapy. 777 of them mention surgery.
Stage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Italia’s Survivor Story
Italia Russell was 30 when she found a breast lump in August 2023, 1 month after learning she carried a BRCA mutation that increased her lifetime breast cancer risk. Her mother had been treated 15 years earlier for Stage II triple-negative breast cancer and…
Read this storyStage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Ashley’s Survivor Story
Ashley Vasallo was 36 when she shared her story, 2 years after being diagnosed with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. Before diagnosis, she had trouble swallowing, shortness of breath, stabbing chest pain, fatigue, vomiting, full-body swelling, clubbed…
Read this storyTriple-Negative Breast Cancer: Erica’s Survivor Story
Erica Watson was 51 when pain and a breast lump led to a diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer. She had stayed current with mammograms and had breast cancer in her family, so the diagnosis still came as a shock. A formal stage was not shared, but her…
Read this storyStage IV HR-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Dee’s Patient Story
Dee was 31 and breastfeeding in 2017 when pain in her left breast was followed by a large lump. Her symptoms were initially minimized because of her age, but she kept pushing for answers and eventually had an ultrasound through a private hospital. She was…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Paul’s Patient Story
Paul was diagnosed with Stage III rectal cancer in early 2024 after more than 1 year of bowel changes. He had frequent bowel movements and loose stools, but during a routine physical in late 2023, the symptoms were first thought to be inflammation or…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Paul’s Patient Story
Paul Klug was diagnosed with Stage III rectal cancer after more than a year of bowel changes. He first noticed frequent bowel movements and loose stools that did not improve. His family doctor and gastroenterologist initially monitored the symptoms…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Cécilia’s Patient Story
Cécilia had been followed for benign mastosis since 2018, but during pregnancy she noticed changes that felt different. Her breast became less mobile and more rigid, the skin darkened and looked like orange peel, and the nipple retracted. A general…
Read this storyOvarian Cancer: Lissa’s Survivor Story
This patient was first diagnosed with a granulosa cell tumor, a rare ovarian cancer, in early 2005 and received treatment locally. The cancer stayed under control for about 12 years before recurring in 2017. After another recurrence in 2024 and uncertainty…
Read this storyInvasive Ductal Carcinoma: Lauren’s Survivor Story
Lauren O’Connell, a beauty editor and mother of 2 living in Dubai, found her breast cancer during a self-exam in December 2023. She felt a large lump in the 12 o’clock area of her right breast and quickly had imaging and a biopsy. The diagnosis was invasive…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Jessenia’s Patient Story
Jessenia was diagnosed with Stage III rectal cancer at age 35 after years of symptoms she had linked to hemorrhoids after pregnancy. She had constipation, bloating, rectal bleeding, and severe pressure that eventually became so painful she could not sit. In…
Read this storyStage IV HER2-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Dee’s Patient Story
Dee Doherty was first diagnosed at age 31 with Stage III invasive ductal carcinoma and extensive DCIS in her left breast. Her early signs included trouble producing milk on the left side while breastfeeding, then breast pain and a growing lumpy area. Because…
Read this storyLung Cancer: Pascal’s Survivor Story
Pascal, 62, learned he had lung cancer after going to his general practitioner for a lump in his neck. He was sent to the emergency department, where a chest X-ray did not show anything clear, but CT scan, PET scan, and biopsy confirmed lung cancer…
Read this storyStage IV Lung Cancer: Florence’s Patient Story
Florence was 40 and living in Nîmes when unusual fatigue, stomach pain, and shortness of breath led her to medical care. She was first diagnosed with pericarditis and treated in the hospital, but deeper testing found the cause: lung cancer. Telling her…
Read this storyStage IV KRAS Breast Cancer: Lauren’s Patient Story
Lauren, from Houston, first found a breast lump in 2014 after breastfeeding her second child. It was initially dismissed as a fibroadenoma, but 2 years later she developed breast pain and noticed that her left nipple looked unusual. She was diagnosed with…
Read this storyStage IV KRAS Colorectal Cancer: Lauren’s Patient Story
Lauren Bimage was 29 when she first noticed a breast lump after breastfeeding. It was initially thought to be a fibroadenoma, but years later pain and nipple changes led to mammogram, ultrasound, and biopsy. She was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Alicia’s Patient Story
Alicia Blakey was being evaluated for a large fibroid when CT imaging unexpectedly showed a colon polyp. A follow-up colonoscopy found a tumor that could not be removed during the procedure. The next day, Alicia underwent laparoscopic surgery to remove part…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Stephanie’s Survivor Story
Stephanie was 32 when an emergency CT scan found a mass after about 2 years of stomach pain, bloating, fatigue and low iron. Her symptoms had repeatedly been attributed to diet, birth control or her age. By the time she reached hospital, the tumor was…
Read this storyStage 0 Colorectal Cancer: Tracy’s Survivor Story
Tracy Robert was diagnosed with low rectal/colorectal cancer after years of bowel changes, bloating, painful gas, and intermittent bright red blood that had been treated as hemorrhoids, IBS, or other benign problems. A colonoscopy finally found what was…
Read this storyStage III Lung Adenocarcinoma: Payton’s Survivor Story
Payton Gibbs was 26 and pregnant when symptoms that seemed like reflux, sleep apnea, or infection eventually led to a lung cancer diagnosis. For months, she had thick mucus and phlegm after meals and on waking, acid reflux, wheezing, and episodes of waking up…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Kristie’s Survivor Story
Kristie had worked in healthcare quality improvement and had always emphasized early screening. In June 2021, during a routine physical, she scheduled her annual mammogram for the next day. She expected another uneventful result, but a few days later she was…
Read this storyInflammatory Breast Cancer: Shirley’s Patient Story
Shirley Joseph was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in January 2024 after breast discomfort and swelling persisted despite antibiotics. The diagnosis arrived just as she and her partner, Mike, were preparing to open a salon, bringing work and music…
Read this storyStage IV BRAF Colorectal Cancer: Sophie’s Survivor Story
Sophie was diagnosed with Stage IV bowel cancer in 2018 after nearly a year of unexplained symptoms. Vomiting, anemia, pain, diarrhea, and inability to keep food down were first investigated as possible Crohn’s disease. Colonoscopy, MRI, and CT then showed a…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Nick’s Patient Story
Nick Sprague, a firefighter and critical care paramedic, was diagnosed with colorectal adenocarcinoma at age 48 after 1 to 2 years of bowel changes, blood in the stool, abdominal pain, reflux-like symptoms, and fatigue. An emergency visit first led to a…
Read this storyStage II Lung Cancer: Att’s Patient Story
Att Callahan was 70 when months of coughing, followed by coughing up blood, led to testing and a Stage IIB lung cancer diagnosis. She did not smoke, was not overweight, and considered herself healthy, so the diagnosis was confusing and frightening. At MD…
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