hysterectomy: 44 Real Stories
44 stories match hysterectomy. 43 of them mention surgery.
Stage III MSI-High Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Briana’s Survivor Story
Briana Ghbein was 34 when genetic testing in 2021 identified MSH2, associated with Lynch syndrome, and a CHEK2 mutation. Because of those findings, she underwent a colonoscopy that found an early rectal adenocarcinoma. She had surgery to remove the cancer and…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jackie’s Patient Story
Jackie was diagnosed with Stage IIIB rectal cancer after constant blood in her stool and worsening constipation led to colonoscopy. CT imaging raised concern for a liver spot, but that finding was later considered nothing. Genetic testing then showed Lynch…
Read this storyStage II Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Monica’s Survivor Story
Monica was 36 when she felt a firm knot in her breast while working on shoulder strength after unrelated injuries. Imaging quickly raised concern, and a surgical biopsy led to a Stage IIB breast cancer diagnosis on November 2. Her doctors wanted chemotherapy…
Read this storyStage III Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Stephanie’s Survivor Story
Stephanie found a small lump in her left breast while self-employed and uninsured. Because she could not ignore the possibility of cancer, she researched options and was connected with the Bridge Breast Network, which helps uninsured and underinsured women in…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Callie’s Survivor Story
Callie was 38 when she noticed dimpling and a bulge in her breast. Her husband urged her to take it seriously, and her primary care doctor quickly arranged a mammogram and ultrasound. The radiologist told her the mammogram was BI-RADS 5, highly suspicious for…
Read this storyStage II BRCA1 Breast Cancer: Joy’s Survivor Story
Joy began checking her breasts after a friend was diagnosed with breast cancer, and that habit helped her notice a lump. A private clinic performed ultrasound, mammogram, and biopsy, and the doctor was confident it was breast cancer even before the biopsy…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Helen’s Survivor Story
Helen was 49 when symptoms that seemed like a urinary tract infection led to a Stage IV sigmoid colon cancer diagnosis. She had pelvic pressure, burning with urination, bowel changes, bloating, and low energy. After 3 rounds of antibiotics and 2 enemas that…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Alyssa’s Patient Story
Alyssa Kelly was 38 and pregnant in early 2021 when abdominal discomfort, weight loss and a concerning ultrasound finding led to an MRI. The news came by phone: Stage IV colon cancer. The main tumor was the size of a softball and pressed on her uterus…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Sian’s Survivor Story
Before a routine mammogram in July 2012, Sian Bevans noticed a lump in her left breast. Ultrasound and biopsy confirmed that the lump was related to fibrocystic breast changes, but the mammogram also showed calcifications in her right breast. Sian delayed the…
Read this storyStage I HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Erica’s Survivor Story
Erica was 46 when a routine mammogram changed the course of her life. She had delayed screening in her early 40s because of procedural anxiety, but after encouragement from her doctor and a close friend, she began annual mammograms. Her 2022, 2023, and 2024…
Read this storyStage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Jennifer’s Survivor Story
Jennifer Rancik was 31 when chest pain she thought was a pulled muscle led to a Stage II triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis. Her doctor initially dismissed her request for mammography, but she insisted. Three days after biopsy, she was told to gather her…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Albita’s Patient Story
Albita was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer in January 2024 after years of symptoms she had attributed to stress, IBS, or constipation. A colonoscopy found the primary tumor, and scans showed about 3 liver metastases, making the cancer Stage IV. Her team…
Read this storyStage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Chance’s Survivor Story
Chance was 24 and already knew she carried a BRCA1 mutation when she saw a lump protruding from her chest during a beach trip. A January 2021 MRI had looked normal, so the sudden change felt alarming. Her care team moved quickly: ultrasound, mammogram, MRI…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Rachael’s Patient Story
Rachael Marie was 34 and raising 3 children when sudden worsening symptoms led her to the ER. She had bloating, severe abdominal pain, fatigue, trouble drinking water, and a swollen stomach. A CT scan led doctors to tell her she had Stage IV colon cancer with…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Rachael’s Patient Story
Rachael, a 34-year-old mother of 3, was diagnosed with Stage IV sigmoid colon cancer after severe stomach pain sent her to the emergency room. A CT scan unexpectedly showed cancer, and further workup showed spread to her ovaries and liver. Before diagnosis…
Read this storyStage IV HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Kate’s Patient Story
Kate first felt a breast lump while breastfeeding. An ultrasound found a 4 mm mass, but she was told she was too young for a mammogram or biopsy and that it was likely a cyst. In November 2023, the lump had grown to 2-3 cm, but she was again told not to…
Read this storyStage III BRCA1 Ovarian Cancer: Carla’s Survivor Story
This patient was diagnosed with Stage III high-grade serous ovarian cancer in July 2023 after months of bloating, unexplained weight loss and increasing abdominal pressure. CT scans performed during an emergency-room visit showed two very large ovarian…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Jessenia’s Patient Story
Jessenia was diagnosed with Stage III rectal cancer at age 35 after years of symptoms she had linked to hemorrhoids after pregnancy. She had constipation, bloating, rectal bleeding, and severe pressure that eventually became so painful she could not sit. In…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Kristie’s Survivor Story
Kristie had worked in healthcare quality improvement and had always emphasized early screening. In June 2021, during a routine physical, she scheduled her annual mammogram for the next day. She expected another uneventful result, but a few days later she was…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Paula’s Survivor Story
Paula Chambers Raney developed years of worsening colorectal symptoms before her cancer was found. She had painful gas, stomach irritation, changes in bowel habits, fatigue, weight loss, anemia, blood, constipation, diarrhea, and repeated visits where she was…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Jessica’s Patient Story
Jessica, a pediatrician in Houston, was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma at 43. In early 2024, she had menstrual changes and left nipple pain, and her primary care doctor ordered blood work, a mammogram, and diagnostic ultrasound. A March 25…
Read this storyStage 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 storyColorectal Cancer Patient Story
Liliana Bolaños’s mother had years of stomach pain and bowel problems and made repeated emergency-room visits, but no colonoscopy was performed and the mass was not identified on scans. When clinicians eventually found it, they believed it came from the…
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…
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