Chemotherapy: 963 Real Stories
963 stories match chemotherapy. 777 of them mention surgery.
Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Zykeisha’s Survivor Story
Zykeisha Law was 37 and a mother of 2 when she shared her Stage IV colorectal cancer story. Years before diagnosis, she had unexplained anemia, very low hemoglobin, and blood transfusions, including during pregnancy. Later, after her youngest child was born…
Read this storyElsa Lankford
Elsa Lankford became a caregiver when her wife was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer at age 49. The recommended screening age had been lowered from 50 to 45 only 2 months earlier. They already feared cancer, and the diagnosis was confirmed while Elsa’s…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Catherine’s Survivor Story
Catherine was 45 when she shared her experience of living after metastatic breast cancer. She first had breast cancer in 2016. In 2019, she had a recurrence with a tumor located near the cerebellum, placing her story in the metastatic breast cancer setting…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Allison’s Patient Story
Allison Tierney, an oncology dietitian in Wisconsin, found a breast lump shortly after finishing breastfeeding her 2nd child. Because she was only 10 days postpartum from nursing, the lump could have been a clogged duct, but it continued to worry her. Imaging…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Savannah’s Survivor Story
Savannah Kaspar was 26 when abdominal pain, severe constipation, and bloody stools pushed her to seek answers. A colonoscopy in August found a mass in her sigmoid colon. It was first described as noncancerous, but Savannah came to MD Anderson, where imaging…
Read this storyStage III Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Harvey’s Patient Story
Aileen tells the story of her husband Harvey, who was 59 when he was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast. Harvey first noticed a lump in summer 2022 but thought it was probably another lipoma. In early 2023, he hit the right side of his…
Read this storyStage IV Ovarian Cancer: Susan’s Patient Story
Susan Dunwoody was diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer in 2015 after years of frequent urination and burping were followed by sudden, severe abdominal swelling. Her husband, Mac, remembers that they initially hoped for just 6 more months together. Susan…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: John’s Survivor Story
John Johnson was 35 and training seriously as a runner when rectal bleeding led to a Stage II rectal cancer diagnosis. At first, he thought the bleeding might be hemorrhoids. When it worsened, he saw his physician, who recommended a colonoscopy. The…
Read this storyStage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Chance’s Survivor Story
Chance Osborne was 24 when she was diagnosed with Stage II triple-negative breast cancer, a diagnosis made more complicated by a family history of cancer and a BRCA1 mutation. Being young did not protect her from aggressive disease, and her story became a…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Dorian’s Survivor Story
Dorian de Salvo was active, working out 5 to 6 times a week, when she began gaining weight without a clear reason. One doctor dismissed her concerns, but another ran blood work that suggested something could be wrong. While traveling for work, Dorian found a…
Read this storyStage IV ALK Lung Adenocarcinoma: Keegan’s Survivor Story
Keegan Murphy, a retired firefighter and combat veteran, was 41 when a lingering dry cough after a cold led to a Stage IV lung cancer diagnosis in September 2022. Testing showed adenocarcinoma with an ALK fusion mutation. By then, cancer was present in his…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Courtney’s Survivor Story
Courtney Hare, a teacher, first noticed blood in her stool in August 2020 and immediately felt something serious was wrong. Blood work later showed she was very anemic. Even so, multiple doctors in different cities dismissed her symptoms because she was…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Justine’s Patient Story
Justine was 32 when bowel changes became impossible to ignore. In the summer of 2018, her bowel movements increased until she was going up to 20 times a day, with soft stool and blood. A colonoscopy on February 11 found a tumor, and she was diagnosed with…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Linda’s Patient Story
Linda Hartong was 44 when constipation and abdominal pain led to hospital testing. A CT scan, MRI, and colonoscopy resulted in a diagnosis of Stage IV colon cancer on August 11, 2023. During an attempted operation, surgeons found that the mass was connected…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jason’s Survivor Story
Jason Randall was 35 in 2018 when severe cramping and inability to move his bowels led to scans showing Stage IV rectosigmoid colorectal cancer. He had a large tumor where the rectum and colon meet, and cancerous lesions covered about 80% of his liver. His…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Allison’s Survivor Story
Allison was 32 and living with Crohn’s disease when she noticed symptoms that felt different from her usual bowel issues. She had weight loss, severe fatigue, increased blood in her stool, and a sensation that food was getting stuck inside her. Because she…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Loriana’s Survivor Story
Loriana was a high-profile news anchor in Austin, Texas, doing national fitness and medical stories when her own health changed. While trying to have a second baby, she dismissed warning signs and was misdiagnosed twice before using professional connections…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Stephanie’s Patient Story
Stephanie McBride was 42 when she was finally referred for a colonoscopy after at least 18 months of colorectal cancer symptoms. She had repeatedly reported rectal bleeding, changes in bowel habits, narrow stools, abdominal cramping and bloating, low iron…
Read this storyOvarian Cancer: Chen’s Survivor Story
Chen Wen Ye was 18 and one week away from high school graduation when worsening abdominal pain and bloating led to an emergency visit in May 2019. She had gained almost 10 pounds in a week, and further evaluation confirmed mucinous ovarian cancer. A week…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Chrystie’s Patient Story
Chrystie was 30 when severe pain led to hospitalization in March 2007. She was initially diagnosed with diverticulitis and spent months moving in and out of the hospital, including weeks of intravenous antibiotics at home. When she returned with severe pain…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Raquel’s Patient Story
Raquel was 33 when she shared her experience with terminal Stage IV colorectal cancer. Her symptoms started years earlier with frequent bathroom trips, pencil-thin stools, abdominal pain, bloating, blood in her stool, and later getting full quickly after…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Bobbi’s Survivor Story
In June 2022, Bobbi Ratliff went to the emergency room with severe stomach cramps and vomiting. A CT scan showed that her colon was about 90% blocked, leading to hospital admission and a diagnosis of Stage IV colon cancer at age 50. Imaging also found a liver…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Cristina’s Survivor Story
Cristina Patrick underwent surgery on July 27, 2020, to remove a malignant mass from her left ovary and was initially told she had ovarian cancer. Continued gastrointestinal problems led to a colonoscopy, which found a mass in her descending colon. A colon…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Jena’s Patient Story
Jena Sica was 25 when rectal bleeding and fatigue led to a colonoscopy and a diagnosis of Stage IIIC colon cancer in 2020. Her care included biomarker testing, chemotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy, and surgery. Jena used her experience to emphasize…
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