Chemotherapy: 963 Real Stories

963 stories match chemotherapy. 777 of them mention surgery.

  1. Stage IV ALK Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Shyreece’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · ALK Positive · carboplatin · Chemotherapy

    Shyreece’s fourth video focuses on the lessons she learned as a Black woman living with Stage IV lung cancer and on the advocacy that grew from her experience. She described a frightening beginning: within about 2 weeks, she went from symptoms and hospital…

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  2. Stage IV Lung Cancer: Shyreece’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Biomarker Testing · Chemotherapy

    Shyreece Pompey’s Stage IV lung cancer care changed when biomarker testing opened a different treatment path. She had first been placed on a chemotherapy cocktail. Later, testing showed that a targeted therapy pill was an option, though the mutation and drug…

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  3. Stage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Loli’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · HER2 Positive · Breast Reconstruction · Chemotherapy

    Loli was 63 when she shared the story of having breast cancer 3 times. About 4 years earlier, she felt a hard area in her breast, like mastitis, and quickly saw her gynecologist. An urgent ultrasound and biopsy led to a HER2-positive breast cancer diagnosis…

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  4. Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Stephanie’s Patient Story

    Chemotherapy · Hormone Therapy

    Stephanie was 68 when she shared a long breast cancer history. In 2004, a routine mammogram found an abnormality on the right side. She had a needle-localized biopsy, lumpectomy, and sentinel node biopsy, then was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ and…

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  5. Stage IV Inflammatory Breast Cancer: Caroline’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Chemotherapy · mastectomy

    Caroline McGuirk first noticed that her right breast felt tighter in September 2020. Over the following weeks, she developed swelling, redness, and dimpling, and later felt masses behind the nipple. Because she was 31 and otherwise healthy, breast cancer had…

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  6. Colorectal Cancer: Francisco’s Survivor Story

    Chemotherapy · Ostomy

    Francisco Goyoaga, known as Curro to friends, was 59 and deeply active in sports and horseback riding when his health changed unexpectedly. He first sought surgery for an umbilical hernia, but complications during that process led to atrial fibrillation and…

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  7. Stage IV Breast Cancer: Marie-Pierre’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Chemotherapy · Radiation

    Marie-Pierre Bertrand was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer when she was barely 50. Before the diagnosis, she had strong fatigue and struggled to get through normal activities. A lymph node was found in 2014, and a mammogram led to the discovery of…

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  8. Colorectal Cancer: Xue’s Patient Story

    Chemotherapy · ileostomy

    Xue Ming was 26 when diarrhea that lasted more than 10 days led him to seek medical care. A doctor felt what seemed to be a tumor, and he was referred from a town hospital to larger hospitals. Colonoscopy and biopsy confirmed middle-stage rectal cancer. The…

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  9. Stage III Breast Cancer: Ada’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · Hormone Therapy

    Ada was 50 when she faced stage 3 breast cancer after noticing breast lumps and pain in her armpits. The diagnosis brought feelings of helplessness, insecurity, grief and fear, but she chose to follow a broad treatment plan. Her care included a mastectomy…

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  10. A R M

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · Surgery

    A R M sought medical care after poor appetite and weight loss became difficult to ignore. Testing led to a diagnosis of Stage III colorectal cancer less than a year before the story was shared. The diagnosis brought fear, sadness and worry, especially about…

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  11. Stage II Breast Cancer: Liliana’s Patient Story

    Stage 2 · Chemotherapy · mastectomy

    Liliana noticed a change in her nipple and a strong stabbing pain in her left breast. A preventive examination led to further evaluation, and a second opinion confirmed stage 2 breast cancer. Her doctor discussed a 90% five-year survival estimate. Liliana…

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  12. Stage II Breast Cancer: Martha’s Patient Story

    Stage 2 · Chemotherapy · Hormone Therapy

    Martha noticed bleeding from her nipple and sought medical attention. After obtaining a second opinion because she wanted clearer information, she was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. The diagnosis left her fearful, helpless, and worried, even after…

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  13. Breast Cancer: Siti’s Patient Story

    Chemotherapy · Radiation

    Siti was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017. She underwent surgery to remove the tumor, followed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and completed that treatment course by the end of 2018. She then continued regular follow-up from 2019. Later, she…

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  14. Stage III Breast Cancer: Edith’s Patient Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · docetaxel

    Edith noticed rapid changes in the size and shape of her left breast, followed by a new lump. She was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. The diagnosis left her feeling powerless, vulnerable, and guilty that she had not recognized the symptoms earlier, but…

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  15. Stage II Breast Cancer: Martha’s Patient Story

    Stage 2 · Chemotherapy · Immunotherapy

    Martha noticed a highly visible mass in her right breast and was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. She sought a second opinion from a more experienced doctor and also researched her options before deciding on treatment. Following medical recommendations…

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  16. Stage III Breast Cancer: Carlie’s Patient Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · Hormone Therapy

    Carlie, 51, was diagnosed with Stage IIIB breast cancer after about 6 months of symptoms in her right breast, including an itchy nipple, sharp searing pain, fatigue, and a feeling that something was off. At first she was told the cancer looked like Stage IIB…

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  17. Stage III Breast Cancer: Antonia’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · Hormone Therapy

    Antonia was 39 and raising 2 children when she noticed a protruding mass in her breast, along with irritation and swelling. She was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. The news left her frightened, confused and overwhelmed, with a strong sense of…

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  18. Stage III Breast Cancer: Carmen’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · Hormone Therapy

    Carmen, 56, is from Colombia, works in bacteriology, and has 1 child. She went to the doctor after a mass in her right breast began to grow and change the shape of the breast. She also noticed redness, swelling, nipple itching, and throbbing pain. She was…

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  19. Stage 0 Breast Cancer: Jacqueline’s Survivor Story

    Stage 0 · Chemotherapy · Hormone Therapy

    Jacqueline, 52, is from Ireland and was diagnosed with Stage 0 breast cancer after taking part in a sleep apnea study. A PET scan from the study picked up an abnormality. At first, she was told it was a papilloma cyst, but it turned out to be Stage 0 breast…

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  20. Stage II Breast Cancer: Elsa’s Patient Story

    Stage 2 · anastrozole · Chemotherapy

    Elsa regularly examined her breasts and sought care after finding a small lump in her left breast and noticing changes in its size and shape. She was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. The news left her frightened, nervous, isolated, and powerless. Her…

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  21. Stage III Breast Cancer: Sylvia’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · Hormone Therapy

    Sylvia found a breast lump during a self-examination in the shower and underwent several tests before being diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer in November 2022. Having previously lost her mother to lung cancer, Sylvia found the diagnosis devastating and…

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  22. Stage III Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Elizabeth’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · ileostomy

    Elizabeth was living in Canada when blood in her stool led her to seek medical care in December 2022. Testing showed Stage III rectal adenocarcinoma. The diagnosis left her angry, frightened, and worried about dying and leaving her children without their…

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  23. Stage II Breast Cancer: Ornella’s Survivor Story

    Stage 2 · Chemotherapy

    Ornella first found a small lump in her right breast during a self-examination in 2013. Ultrasound and mammography showed suspicious nodules, and a core needle biopsy confirmed stage 2 breast cancer. She sought a second opinion and was told that her estimated…

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  24. Stage III Breast Cancer: Aalia’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · mastectomy

    Aalia was 48 when fatigue and a lump she felt while undressing led to a diagnosis of Stage III breast cancer. The diagnosis frightened her, and she worried about what treatment and the future would mean. Her doctors discussed multiple surgeries and other…

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