Chemotherapy: 963 Real Stories
963 stories match chemotherapy. 777 of them mention surgery.
Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Jelena’s Survivor Story
Jelena was 34, healthy, and running half marathons when she began noticing unusual digestive changes. Her gas smelled different, then she saw blood in her stool. Because colorectal cancer did not run in her family and she felt otherwise well, she first…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Kara’s Patient Story
Kara Wutzke considered herself to be in the best shape of her life when persistent gas, bloating, abdominal discomfort, and irregular bowel movements began to interfere with how she felt. As a health and fitness professional, she first examined her diet and…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Ann’s Survivor Story
Ann Gustafson was 49 when she noticed blood with bowel movements. Her doctor promptly referred her for a gastrointestinal consultation and colonoscopy. When Ann woke from the procedure, she was alone and learned that doctors had found a large tumor believed…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Stacy’s Survivor Story
Stacy Hughes was 38 when she was diagnosed with Stage IIIB colon cancer in April 2023. She had noticed persistent changes in bowel habits, narrow stools, stomach cramping, bloating, fullness, and pain in the left lower abdomen. Her primary-care clinician felt…
Read this storyStage IV Lung Cancer: Deborah’s Patient Story
Deborah Persinger was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2010 after bronchitis-like symptoms would not go away and early X-rays and tests did not explain the problem. A local thoracic surgeon gave her a poor 5-year survival estimate, and she asked to be treated at…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jason’s Patient Story
Jason Reese was 49 when he described living with Stage IV colorectal cancer that started in the rectum and spread extensively to his liver. For a long time, he explained away gastrointestinal distress as diet-related. Blood on the toilet paper slowly worsened…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Sally’s Survivor Story
In 2013, Sally Johnston was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer after her primary care provider found a lump near her clavicle. A biopsy confirmed breast cancer involving lymph nodes. The cancer was estrogen receptor-positive. Sally began treatment with an…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jim’s Patient Story
Jim Bromwich was 36 when mild abdominal cramps and a small amount of blood in his stool pushed him to ask for a colonoscopy. He had been active and healthy, and an initial doctor reassured him that colon cancer was unlikely at his age. His GP still offered a…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Bridget’s Survivor Story
Bridget noticed blood in the stool and other symptoms in April 2024 but waited a few months before seeking medical care. The diagnosis of colorectal cancer was further delayed after early concerns were not taken seriously, leaving Bridget angry about the time…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Agnes’s Patient Story
Agnes, a social worker from Ireland, was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer in May 2024 after abdominal pain led to a hospital admission. She had also experienced weight loss and fatigue. Doctors told her that surgery was not currently suitable…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Gail’s Patient Story
Gail, 65, is a mother of 2 from the United Kingdom who works in administration. In August 2024, she was diagnosed with Stage III luminal A breast cancer after feeling a lump in her breast that did not go away after a few weeks. She was surprised by the…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Susana’s Patient Story
Susana’s breast cancer was found after a mammogram was moved forward when she raised concerns about changes while breastfeeding her 2-year-old child. Imaging revealed a 4.5 cm breast mass and 3 affected lymph nodes, leading to a Stage III breast cancer…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Debra’s Patient Story
Debra was diagnosed with Stage III colorectal cancer in June 2024 after symptoms that included blood in her stool, incomplete bowel movements, weight loss, fatigue, fecal incontinence, and increasing groin pain. Her diagnosis came during an emergency visit…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Anna’s Patient Story
Anna sought medical care after changes in bowel habits, blood in the stool and persistent abdominal symptoms. The problem was initially treated as a suspected perianal abscess, but an MRI later found a tumor. Further scans showed cancer involving 2 lymph…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Elaine’s Survivor Story
Elaine’s colorectal cancer was discovered after a fecal immunochemical test led to a colonoscopy in November 2024. The colonoscopy showed Stage III colon adenocarcinoma. Elaine approached the diagnosis with optimism and felt encouraged by the confidence of…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Paula’s Patient Story
Paula found a strange lump in her right breast and was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. She had no other symptoms. The diagnosis was shocking and left her confused, worried, surprised, and vulnerable, although her doctor’s guidance also gave her some…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jeff’s Patient Story
Jeff Williams was 50 when his first routine colonoscopy found a tumor in his sigmoid colon. Scans the next day confirmed Stage IV colorectal cancer that had spread to his liver and lungs, with 4 liver lesions and 3 lung lesions. He first had surgery to remove…
Read this storyStage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Chantal’s Survivor Story
Chantal was 24 and already knew she carried a BRCA1 mutation when she felt a sudden painful lump during a beach trip. Just 1 month earlier, her preventive MRI had looked normal. Because the lump was visible and clearly new, she sought testing quickly. Biopsy…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Stephanie’s Survivor Story
Stephanie was 32 when years of stomach pain, bloating, feeling run down, and low iron finally led to a Stage III colon cancer diagnosis. She did not have blood in her stool, which made colon cancer feel unlikely to her at first. Doctors initially attributed…
Read this storyStage IV BRAF Colorectal Cancer: Loralee’s Patient Story
Loralee Lovell had lived with irritable bowel symptoms for years, so blood in her stool did not initially seem unusual. After moving from North Dakota to Texas at the end of 2020, she was exhausted from the move, caring for 5 children, and a new litter of…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Jessica’s Patient Story
Jessica had a clear baseline mammogram in 2019, although it showed dense breast tissue. In June 2023, a routine mammogram found a swollen lymph node in her armpit. Additional imaging also showed an area of distortion in the breast, beginning a series of…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Barbara’s Survivor Story
Barbara was an active, health-conscious woman who did not fit the stereotype many people imagine for colon cancer. Her first symptoms were digestive: food felt like it was just sitting in her gut, she had trouble processing meals, and she became extremely…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Sherri’s Patient Story
Sherri was first diagnosed in November 2022 with aggressive Stage IV metastatic breast cancer after her blood counts dropped and doctors found a breast mass. The cancer had spread to her bone marrow, so she needed multiple transfusions before starting…
Read this storyStage IV Inflammatory Breast Cancer: Corky’s Patient Story
Corky Thacker was 64 when breast discoloration that first seemed like a heat rash eventually led to a Stage IV inflammatory breast cancer diagnosis. She was careful about annual mammograms, but inflammatory breast cancer can be hard to detect because it often…
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