Radiation: 614 Real Stories
614 stories match radiation. 511 of them mention surgery.
Stage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Sonja’s Patient Story
Sonja Rideout was diagnosed on October 19, 2022, with Stage II HER2-positive breast cancer after ultrasound and biopsy of a 2-inch breast mass. Her treatment began with 4 months of chemotherapy, followed by a total mastectomy and DIEP flap reconstruction…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Kristie’s Patient Story
Kristie was 51 when her first colonoscopy changed everything. She had gone in after her OB-GYN pushed her to complete screening that had been delayed after COVID. She had dealt with constipation for much of her life and later recognized pencil-thin stools as…
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 IV Colorectal Cancer: Scott’s Survivor Story
Scott Zeff was 67 when a prostate exam for urinary issues led indirectly to a rectal cancer diagnosis. He was given medication for a swollen prostate, but because he had never had a colonoscopy, he was advised to schedule one. A few months later, colonoscopy…
Read this storyStage IV EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Jennifer’s Patient Story
Jennifer’s Stage IV lung cancer was found almost by accident. She had been in a car accident that revealed a lung spot, but she did not learn about it until 10 months later. When she later saw her primary care doctor for what she thought was a sinus…
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 IV Colorectal Cancer: Kayleigh’s Patient Story
Kayleigh had 1 alarming symptom: a small amount of blood in her stool. She called her doctor right away because it was unusual for her body. At first, hemorrhoids seemed possible, but Kayleigh asked for a FIT test. When it came back positive, she researched…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Donna’s Survivor Story
Donna Marie Caruso, 70, began treatment for rectal cancer in November 2020, soon after retiring from a 30-year teaching career. Because colorectal cancer ran in her family, she had been careful about screening and credited colonoscopy with catching the cancer…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer Patient Story
The patient was breastfeeding her daughter in 2016 when she noticed a lump in her right breast. She was reassured at first that she was too young for breast cancer and that it might be related to breastfeeding. After diagnosis, further testing changed the…
Read this storyStage IV ROS1 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Drea’s Patient Story
Drea was 26, a never-smoker, and living in Florida when a series of unexplained symptoms led to a Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer diagnosis. It began with a DVT that caused a swollen ankle. Over the next 4 to 5 months, she developed unexplained bruising…
Read this storyStage III Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Stacy’s Survivor Story
Stacy had received regular mammograms since age 40 and was repeatedly told the results were clear. Dense breast tissue was noted, and automated whole-breast ultrasound was recommended only once. During a 2023 examination, her gynecologist felt that one breast…
Read this storyHER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Janella’s Survivor Story
Janella Bustamante was diagnosed with triple-positive breast cancer in June 2021. Her cancer was described as fueled by estrogen, progesterone and the HER2 protein. She returned to Lima, Peru, for the first part of treatment and spent the following months…
Read this storyStage IV Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Dalitso’s Patient Story
Dalitso was 38 when invasive ductal breast cancer was first found in 2020. She had noticed a hardening breast mass years earlier, along with weight loss, fatigue, and back pain that had been attributed to other health issues. A mammogram first suggested Stage…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Josephine’s Survivor Story
Josephine faced 2 cancer diagnoses before age 40. In 2015, at age 28, she was diagnosed with melanoma. Two years later, breast cancer disrupted the life she and her partner were building around marriage, family plans, and ordinary young-adult freedom. Breast…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Tammy’s Survivor Story
Tammy McDevitt had years of normal mammograms, even though repeated letters warned that dense breast tissue could make cancer harder to detect. In September 2024, her annual screening mammogram at Cleveland Clinic found a subtle abnormality. Follow-up…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Jennifer’s Survivor Story
Jennifer Njathi’s breast cancer was found after her delayed 40th-birthday mammogram led to extra imaging in early 2023. At first, she thought the callback was routine for a first mammogram. When the repeat screening focused on one breast and the lymph nodes…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Basma’s Patient Story
Basma, a 44-year-old mother of 2, learned she had breast cancer after a mammogram showed concerning changes and a biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Her name was changed for privacy. She had no family history of breast cancer, and the news affected not only her…
Read this storyStage IV Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Nikoo’s Patient Story
Nikoo was 42 in 2003 when a normal mammogram missed the cancer her doctor felt during a breast exam. A biopsy confirmed invasive lobular breast cancer, a type that can be difficult to see on standard imaging. The tumor was small, about 0.9 cm, and she was…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Kalei’s Patient Story
Kalei was 28 and raising 2 young daughters when bowel changes, strange tissue in her stool, blood, clots, and cramping made her push for answers. A full colonoscopy found a mass growing through the rectal wall, and pathology confirmed rectal cancer. Her care…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Theresa’s Survivor Story
Theresa first faced cancer in 2008, when a painful spot on her lip was biopsied and diagnosed as lip cancer. It was treated with Mohs surgery. Five years later, in 2013, she noticed her left breast looked larger and felt painful. Instead of a typical lump…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Karin’s Patient Story
Karin was first diagnosed with breast cancer on December 4, 2014, after mentioning a swollen breast gland during a visit for a persistent cough. Everything moved quickly. She initially hoped the tumor could simply be removed, but treatment also included…
Read this storyStage IV EGFR Lung Cancer: Emily’s Patient Story
Emily was active and healthy when a cough that began in fall 2023 kept lingering. By August 31, 2024, shortness of breath on a familiar hike and a changing voice made her seek care. A chest X-ray showed nodules, and a CT scan led to the call no one wants: the…
Read this storyStage IV ALK Lung Cancer: Shauna’s Patient Story
Shauna had just turned 51 when a cough lingered for months after a respiratory illness. During a lunch break, she went to urgent care, where an X-ray showed a mass in her right lung. A needle biopsy and scans followed, including brain MRI, PET, chest CT, and…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Maria’s Patient Story
Maria first went through chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and targeted/endocrine therapy for breast cancer. Surgery showed more lymph-node involvement than expected on PET imaging, and up to 20 lymph nodes were removed. Pathology later showed more cancer in…
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