Chemotherapy: 963 Real Stories
963 stories match chemotherapy. 777 of them mention surgery.
Breast Cancer: Teri’s Survivor Story
Teri’s breast cancer was found during a routine mammogram in May 2023. Follow-up ultrasound and biopsy confirmed the diagnosis after the screening study detected something suspicious. Teri had not noticed major symptoms, although nipple discharge occurred…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Char’s Patient Story
Char, 42, was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer after feeling a lump in her breast and noticing yellowish fluid from her nipple. Her doctor told her the estimated 5-year survival rate was likely 100%, but the diagnosis still pushed her to make major…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Joanna’s Survivor Story
Joanna was 37 when she found a breast lump while she was on her period. The lump felt suspicious enough that she sought medical care, and testing at the hospital led to a Stage III breast cancer diagnosis in 2023. The news overwhelmed her with fear…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Gina’s Patient Story
Gina was diagnosed with Stage III colorectal cancer in January 2023 after back pain led to imaging for a large ovarian cyst and bowel thickening. Cancer was removed surgically, but the temporary stoma did not function and she needed a second operation the…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Karen’s Patient Story
Karen was 56 when she found a hard lump in her right breast. She did not have other symptoms, but medical evaluation led to a Stage I breast cancer diagnosis in October 2023. Her doctor also discussed an estimated 5-year survival rate of 87%. Even with an…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Daniela’s Survivor Story
Daniela, 51, is a sales administrator from Colombia and a mother of one. She was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer after noticing a spot on her breast and reddishness. Her doctor told her the estimated 5-year survival rate was 70%. The diagnosis left her…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Pearline’s Patient Story
Pearline, from New Zealand, was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 2023 after a routine mammogram found a suspicious area and a core needle biopsy confirmed cancer. Her surgeon told her that the estimated 5-year survival rate was 44%. A few months…
Read this storyStage I Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Tracy’s Patient Story
Tracy was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer after a routine mammogram found the disease before she had noticed any symptoms. She later identified her diagnosis as triple-negative breast cancer. The news initially left her feeling relatively neutral, but…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Arlene’s Patient Story
Arlene’s colorectal cancer was found through a fecal immunochemical test in November 2023 despite having no symptoms. The diagnosis came during a difficult period soon after a husband’s death, adding anger, fear and sadness to an already painful time…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Ashley’s Patient Story
Ashley developed persistent heartburn and felt full after only small amounts of food. An initial diagnosis and medication did not explain the worsening symptoms, so Ashley sought another opinion after roughly 6 months to a year. In January 2023, testing…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Angelina’s Patient Story
Angelina, 56, sought medical help after a lump in her breast kept growing. She was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer and was told her 5-year survival rate was 95%. Her doctors recommended a treatment regimen that included DIEP mastectomy, chemotherapy…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Diana’s Patient Story
Diana, 44, is from Colombia, has 2 children, and works in accounting as a financial technologist. She was being monitored for a lump in her left breast that was first biopsied and considered benign. Two years later, the lump worsened, and she also developed…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Lan’s Patient Story
Lan sought medical care after finding a hard, painful breast lump and was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. Her doctor discussed a 90% five-year survival estimate. The diagnosis brought fear, grief, confusion, and a sense of vulnerability. Lan underwent…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Margaret’s Patient Story
Margaret, a mother of two from Ireland, noticed a large breast lump that appeared almost overnight, together with itching. She was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer. Although the news was difficult, she tried to remain optimistic and hopeful. Her…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Ber’s Survivor Story
Ber sought medical attention for piles in June 2023 and was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. A family history that included a brother who died from cancer at 41 and a father with lung cancer made the diagnosis especially frightening. Treatment started with…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Anne’s Patient Story
Anne, 53, learned she had Stage II breast cancer in September 2023 after a mammogram showed an abnormality that needed more testing. She was already working in Taoyuan, so she completed additional tests at another hospital. After researching her diagnosis…
Read this storyStage I Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Emma’s Patient Story
Emma, a 46-year-old mother of 5 in Ireland, checked her breasts after a conversation with her partner about male breast cancer made her realize she had never done it. She found a lump and then noticed changes in breast shape, pain, nipple discharge…
Read this storyStage IV Gastric Adenocarcinoma: Angel’s Survivor Story
Angel had months of heartburn, reflux, bloating and feeling full quickly before seeking medical care. Over-the-counter medicines had seemed enough at first, but further evaluation in December 2023 led to a diagnosis of Stage IV stomach cancer, specifically…
Read this storyStage IV HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Bethany’s Patient Story
Bethany was 34 when breast cancer was first found in both breasts and a lymph node. Earlier, she had felt breast and underarm lumps but pursued thermography and other nonstandard approaches before ultimately getting a mammogram and ultrasound that showed…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Loriana’s Survivor Story
Loriana Hernandez-Aldama was an Emmy Award-winning broadcast anchor and trying to have a second baby when symptoms she had dismissed led to an acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis. She says she was misdiagnosed twice before connections helped her get to Johns…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Mary’s Survivor Story
Mary Richichi was 79 at the time of the story and had been treated for breast cancer years earlier. A routine mammogram found a tumor in the duct of her left breast in July 2009, during a stressful period when she and her husband were preparing to move closer…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Trevor’s Patient Story
Trevor Maxwell began feeling unusually exhausted in early 2018. Because he had dealt with anxiety and depression before, he first thought his symptoms were mental health-related. Bloodwork changed the direction of care, and his doctor pushed for a…
Read this storyTriple-Negative Breast Cancer: Stephanie’s Survivor Story
Stephanie Rifici Thorkelson noticed a breast lump while nursing her first son and initially thought it was another clogged milk duct. When the lump did not go away after about 1 month, she saw her Ob/Gyn. Mammogram and biopsy showed breast cancer shortly…
Read this storyStage IV PIK3CA Breast Cancer: Abigail’s Patient Story
Abigail was 38, running a law firm, raising 2 young children, and breastfeeding when she felt a lump in her left breast in January 2017. She first thought it was a clogged duct. In April 2017, she was diagnosed with strongly hormone-positive breast cancer and…
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