Chemotherapy: 963 Real Stories
963 stories match chemotherapy. 777 of them mention surgery.
Stage II Breast Cancer: Cristina’s Patient Story
Cristina, 45, is a mother from Colombia who was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer after noticing subtle dimpling in the areola of her left breast. She initially paid little attention to the change because it was small and painless. A painful, swollen…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Gordon’s Survivor Story
Gordon was diagnosed with Stage II colorectal adenocarcinoma in January 2022 after constipation and blood in his stool led to a home screening test and further evaluation. He underwent a partial colectomy. After surgery he was readmitted to hospital twice…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Diana’s Survivor Story
Diana was 40 when persistent pain in her right breast led her to feel a small lump. She was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and initially felt powerless, vulnerable and sad. Her doctors explained that treatment offered a chance of survival if the cancer…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Mandy’s Survivor Story
Mandy found a lump in her left breast while getting dressed. When it did not disappear after several months, she arranged her first mammogram about five months after noticing it. The diagnosis brought nervousness, fear, confusion, and repeated thoughts about…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Sanjana’s Patient Story
Sanjana was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer about 2 years ago after breast thickening, swelling and sudden pain prompted her to seek medical attention. Her treatment journey included chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormone therapy, and she says she…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Sarah’s Survivor Story
Sarah was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer in 2022 after a radiologist noticed a dark lump during a routine mammogram. The diagnosis brought anger, fear, helplessness and grief, and she responded by making changes to her diet and exercise routine. Her…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Yurley’s Survivor Story
Yurley was 36 when she noticed that one breast had retracted inward and a lump was growing. She was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer in October 2022. Unsatisfied with the information she initially received, she sought a second opinion before moving…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Katie’s Survivor Story
Katie Robb Sewall was 27 when a double mastectomy in 2014 changed what she thought was stage 0 breast cancer into a Stage III diagnosis. Pathology showed the cancer had spread from the breast ducts into lymph nodes. Katie and her husband, Craig, had to move…
Read this storyStage III Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Jacque’s Patient Story
Jacque, an academic advisor and mother of 2 grown children, found a hard, gritty, annoying lump under her left arm and breast in 2019. Her OB-GYN agreed it should be checked, but a mammogram and ultrasound were initially reassuring, and the radiologist told…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Daniel’s Patient Story
Daniel ‘Joe’ Einspahr noticed a persistent sensation of hunger in 2018 that did not improve after eating. An endoscopy showed stomach cancer, interrupting a multi-year cross-country bicycle trip he had been completing with his son. Joe received 3 rounds of…
Read this storyBRCA Breast Cancer: Christie’s Patient Story
Christie Siebel learned through genetic testing that she carried a BRCA mutation after breast cancer had affected other members of her family. At age 30, shortly after the birth of her daughter, she noticed a breast lump while breastfeeding. A biopsy showed…
Read this storyBRCA Ovarian Cancer: Christie’s Patient Story
Christie Siebel already knew she carried a BRCA mutation and had previously been treated for triple-negative breast cancer. She had been considering preventive gynecologic surgery when her care team found a complex ovarian cyst. In early March 2020, Christie…
Read this storyStage IV Gastric Cancer: Karen’s Patient Story
Karen Lucas began having difficulty eating and losing weight while recovering from shingles in 2012. When the problems worsened, her family encouraged her to have an endoscopy. A mass was found at the gastroesophageal junction, and she was diagnosed with…
Read this storyStage IV Gastric Adenocarcinoma: Doran’s Patient Story
Doran Barro was a healthy, active 75-year-old woman living in Arizona when she began feeling acid reflux, early fullness after only a few bites, nausea, and a tightening sensation in her stomach in March 2014. After repeated testing, she was diagnosed on May…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Sundar’s Survivor Story
Sundar Matpadi was diagnosed with stomach cancer in August 2012 at age 46. Sundar underwent total gastrectomy the following month, followed by 92 days of oral chemotherapy and 30 days of radiation. Treatment ended in May 2013. The treatment and recovery…
Read this storyStage IV Gastric Cancer: Ernie’s Patient Story
Ernie Pierce was 62 when an operation expected to remove his gallbladder instead revealed Stage IV gastric cancer on March 31, 2008. He had spent almost a year seeking answers for early fullness, worsening discomfort, pain, and significant weight loss, but…
Read this storyGastric Adenocarcinoma: Alan’s Patient Story
Alan Gorman was diagnosed with signet cell adenocarcinoma of the stomach in March 2014 at age 50. Symptoms had begun about 7 months earlier with chest pain. Initial X-rays and blood tests appeared normal, and acid-reflux treatment was started. As the symptoms…
Read this storyStage IV Gastric Cancer: Buddy’s Patient Story
Shortly after turning 72, Buddy began having serious difficulty eating and increasing fatigue. In July, he was diagnosed with cancer at the gastroesophageal junction, where the stomach and esophagus meet. The disease was Stage IV and had spread to an adrenal…
Read this storyMr. Knight
Mr. Knight was diagnosed with stomach cancer on May 21, 2014, at age 62. One week later, on May 28, he underwent surgery to remove his stomach. He began chemotherapy and radiation on August 13 and completed 5 weeks of combined treatment. The course was…
Read this storyTriple-Negative Breast Cancer: Sandra’s Survivor Story
Sandra Monsonís was 43 and had not had a medical checkup for more than 5 years when a friend encouraged her to see a gynecologist. She had some breast discomfort but did not feel a clear lump. That visit found a lump that became a triple-negative breast…
Read this storyOvarian Cancer: Shelley’s Patient Story
Shelley O’Keefe had noticed bruising, fatigue, lower back pain, and an episode of severe abdominal pain over several years. Because she was an athlete, golf instructor, and busy parent, many of those symptoms were easy to explain away. Pain during intercourse…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Rosie’s Patient Story
Rosie Rosanna Fiorino was 35 in 2004 when worsening digestive symptoms and inability to eat led to gastroscopy. The examination found a large mass, and she was hospitalized in July. She underwent total gastrectomy and later learned that the diagnosis was…
Read this storyStage III Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Martha’s Survivor Story
Martha had a dense area in her right breast that worried her throughout her 40s. Multiple mammograms over about 10 years were read as benign. At 49, another mammogram and an ultrasound were also considered benign, but Martha consulted a surgeon who agreed the…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Kathleen’s Survivor Story
Kathleen Shaffer was diagnosed with right breast cancer in early 2019. She had a lumpectomy and 2 lymph nodes removed in March, followed by chemotherapy and radiation. After finishing cancer treatment, she expected to move forward, but new pain and swelling…
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