Rehabilitation: 26 Real Stories
26 stories match rehabilitation. 24 of them mention surgery.
Stage IV ALK Lung Cancer: Michelle’s Patient Story
Michelle had been living with ALK-positive lung cancer since 2018 when she developed persistent headaches, vomiting, ear popping, and a whooshing sound in her head. Remembering another patient who had developed leptomeningeal disease, she pressed for an…
Read this storyStage IV EGFR Lung Cancer: Marnie’s Patient Story
Marnie Clark first noticed that one leg felt unusual. The problem became impossible to dismiss when the leg became paralyzed. Early tests focused on the leg and found nothing, so Marnie and her husband paid for additional examinations rather than continue…
Read this storyStage IV ALK Lung Cancer: Sharon’s Patient Story
Sharon Schneider was diagnosed with a rare ALK-positive lung cancer in April 2017. She had previously completed 7 half marathons along with several 15K and 5K races, but cancer treatment and blood clots in her brain forced her to stop running. Later that…
Read this storyLung Cancer: Katie’s Survivor Story
Katie Gilmore was 12 weeks pregnant in 2023 when she went to the emergency room after coughing up blood for 24 hours. After several days of tests and a biopsy, she received the diagnosis over Mother’s Day weekend: neuroendocrine lung cancer. The immediate…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Annette’s Survivor Story
Annette Huber was 48 when she reflected on breast cancer that began years earlier with a lump in her right breast. At first, the path to diagnosis felt long and frustrating. She repeatedly sensed that something was wrong, but felt that her concerns were not…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Klaus’s Patient Story
Klaus Deckmann was 66 and newly retired when breast cancer was diagnosed in early 2020. He had felt repeated pressure in his breast, and because his mother had died of breast cancer, he pushed himself to see his family doctor. Ultrasound, mammography, biopsy…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Silvia’s Patient Story
Silvia Litsching was 61, married, and the mother of 2 adult children when she described more than 20 years with breast cancer. She was first diagnosed in 1990 at age 38 after insisting that a breast lump be checked, even though earlier examinations had seemed…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Angelika’s Survivor Story
Angelika Keller was 64 at the time of her interview in June 2023. She was married, cared for her husband who had paraplegia, and had retired 2 years earlier than planned after a breast cancer diagnosis in 2022. She had felt no symptoms, so she was very…
Read this storyBRCA1 Breast Cancer: Alina’s Survivor Story
Alina Schiller was 30 when she shared life after early-stage breast cancer. She found a lump while changing clothes and went to a gynecologist, who referred her to a breast center. Biopsy confirmed breast cancer in 2018, and BRCA1 testing found a mutation at…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Kirsten’s Survivor Story
Kirsten Seifert was 52, married, and working as a freelance sports trainer when breast cancer was diagnosed. She had 3 adult children and received the diagnosis about 1 year before rehabilitation. Her gynecologist first advised immediate surgery, but Kirsten…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Silke’s Survivor Story
Silke Winter was 51 at the time of her interview and had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014/2015. She first noticed a soft, unusual area on the right side of her breast, but she was reassured that it did not seem worrying. Only later, after returning…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Klaus’s Survivor Story
Klaus Wippich was 64 when he described rectal cancer that began when he was 28. After moving to a new city, he noticed blood in his stool. He had previously thought his symptoms were hemorrhoids, but a new doctor diagnosed rectal cancer. Treatment moved…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Dieter’s Survivor Story
Dieter Loewe was 68 when he described rectal cancer diagnosed in 2006. He had pain during bowel movements, but an initial medical visit did not find anything abnormal. When the pain continued, his wife pushed him to seek care again. Colonoscopy found 2…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Lorenz’s Patient Story
Lorenz Kraus was 61 when he described sigmoid colon cancer diagnosed 3 years earlier. During a hiking holiday, he noticed unusual exhaustion and frequent bowel movements after meals. After returning home, he sought medical advice. Colonoscopy in hospital…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Henriette’s Survivor Story
Henriette Schiller was 44 when she described rectal cancer diagnosed 5 years earlier. For several months before diagnosis, she noticed that her stamina was lower. Then she developed digestive problems, pain while sitting, and blood in her stool. Her partner…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Sonja’s Survivor Story
Sonja Novotny was 58 when rectal cancer was found during a preventive colonoscopy recommended by her daughter, who worked in healthcare. Until then, Sonja had not noticed warning signs, so the diagnosis came as a complete surprise. She appreciated that her…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Paul’s Survivor Story
Paul Reinauer was 73 when he reflected on colon cancer diagnosed at age 54. For a long time, he noticed blood in his stool and thought it might be hemorrhoids. When he finally saw a doctor, a tissue sample led to the diagnosis of bowel cancer. The news…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Petra’s Patient Story
Petra Thomas was 32 when she described life 2 years after being diagnosed with Stage III rectal cancer. Blood in her stool first appeared about 9 months before diagnosis, but she was initially reassured that she was too young for cancer and probably had…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Laura’s Patient Story
Laura Filip was 34 when she was living through treatment for rectal cancer diagnosed in December 2022. Blood in her stool during summer 2022 led to testing, including a colonoscopy that found the tumor. A coronavirus infection delayed her hospital admission…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Erna’s Survivor Story
Erna Hettich was 72 when she described rectal cancer in the context of a strong family history of colorectal cancer. During a vacation, she noticed blood in her stool and frequent bowel movements, even though her yearly occult-blood test had not shown…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Baerbel’s Survivor Story
Baerbel Grafenbach was 60 when early-stage breast cancer was found in late 2011 through mammography and biopsy. Her doctor described it as a non-aggressive cancer at an early stage and called it a good diagnosis. Because of that, Baerbel was able to take time…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Andrea’s Patient Story
Andrea Jesse was 48 when breast cancer entered her life in 2012. Her first symptom felt like muscle soreness in the right breast. Four weeks later, examination, mammography, and biopsy led to the diagnosis. Surgery happened fast: she had breast-conserving…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Gerda’s Patient Story
Gerda Martin was 73 when she reflected on breast cancer diagnosed in 2008. She first noticed a change during a sauna visit: her nipple was pulling inward. She went to her gynecologist, and further testing led to the diagnosis. Surgery removed her right…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Petra’s Survivor Story
Petra Markert was 52 when colon cancer was found after months of severe constipation. Several examinations had not explained the problem, and preparation for a planned colonoscopy failed because of intense nausea and vomiting. She was admitted to hospital as…
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