Supportive Care: 133 Real Stories
133 stories match supportive care. 80 of them mention surgery.
Stage IV Breast Cancer: Tova’s Patient Story
Tova Goldblum was 60 when she described a breast cancer diagnosis that had begun in 1992. At that time, doctors advised removal of the breast. Living in Germany far from her family, she felt very alone with the diagnosis and the treatment decisions. Lists of…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Clara’s Survivor Story
Clara Ott was 75 when she looked back on rectal cancer diagnosed at age 49 after many years of ulcerative colitis. She had been under regular medical observation since ulcerative colitis was found at age 25. When several examinations eventually showed rectal…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Nurguel’s Patient Story
Nurguel Dogan was 40, married, and the mother of 2 sons when she described breast cancer diagnosed in 2009. A lump was found during regular early-detection care, and biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Her first worry was for her sons, who were 10 and 11…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Emil’s Patient Story
Emil Groh was 56 when he described living with end-stage rectal cancer that had spread to the lungs and liver. About 1.5 years earlier, blood in his stool and major weight loss led him to medical care. Blood tests prompted hospital admission, and colonoscopy…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Marion’s Survivor Story
Marion Pfulding was 54 at the time of her interview. Because her mother had died of breast cancer more than 35 years earlier, regular early-detection care mattered to her. After moving to a new city, there was a break while she found new doctors. Once she…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Rosi’s Survivor Story
Rosi Blumenthal was 75 when she described colorectal cancer that was found after a screening test for hidden blood in the stool at her gynecologist’s office. A colonoscopy followed. At first, she thought the problem might be another bowel fistula, something…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Rosemarie’s Survivor Story
Rosemarie Berthel was 74 at the time of her interview and had received her breast cancer diagnosis at 71. She was widowed, the mother of 4, and already a grandmother and great-grandmother. Mammography had shown scattered abnormal cells in 2007, but she…
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 storyBreast Cancer: Nicole’s Survivor Story
Nicole Bissinger was 44 when she described Paget carcinoma of the breast diagnosed in 2009. The first sign was a small wound on her right nipple. For about 1.5 years, it was treated as eczema with cortisone before a biopsy finally showed Paget carcinoma…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Helga’s Survivor Story
Helga Dietrich was 60 when she reflected on breast cancer first diagnosed at age 41, soon after her family moved to a new city. Her 2 children were still minors, and knowing they were well cared for during treatment gave her relief. At the first diagnosis…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Iris’s Survivor Story
Iris Ludwig was 30 when breast cancer was diagnosed in 2001. Because she worked in a medical field, she already knew what many cancer treatments could involve, yet the diagnosis still left her feeling unable to react. Chemotherapy began before…
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: Eva’s Patient Story
Eva Manz was 39 and living with her partner when she looked back on 2 breast cancer diagnoses. She was first diagnosed at 31. At that time, her left breast was removed and reconstructed at the same operation. The loss of the breast affected her deeply, even…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Greta’s Survivor Story
Greta Tietze-Stein was 52 when she described breast cancer diagnosed in 2006. A breast inflammation led her to notice a palpable change and see her gynecologist. Ultrasound showed an unclear finding, followed by mammography and biopsy. Because the diagnosis…
Read this storyBRCA1 Breast Cancer: Julia’s Patient Story
Julia Bring was 28 when she described breast cancer that began just 2 months after her wedding. She and her husband had been planning for a child when mammography and biopsy led to the diagnosis in August 2010. Because she was only 25, her doctors…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Uwe’s Patient Story
Uwe Dierks was 63 when he shared the long-term effects of rectal cancer diagnosed in 2011. For about 1 year before diagnosis, he had worsening bowel problems, nighttime toilet trips, bleeding, and weight loss. Colonoscopy found a tumor, and his doctor was…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Bianca’s Patient Story
Bianca Winkler was 38, self-employed, and raising 2 young daughters when a routine gynecologic exam found an abnormality in her breast. Mammography followed, but the biopsy still did not give a clear answer. At the end of 2012, breast-conserving surgery…
Read this storyTriple-Negative Breast Cancer: Doris’s Survivor Story
Doris Teller was 58, divorced, and living on her own when she described treatment for triple-negative breast cancer. Her mammogram had been normal, but about 3 months later she felt a hard area in her breast. When the lump grew, her gynecologist ordered a…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Jan’s Survivor Story
Jan Holgersson was 59 when he reflected on colorectal cancer diagnosed at age 55. He had lived with persistent diarrhea for more than 6 months but did not take it seriously until the symptoms worsened. Hospital testing found cancer, and he initially feared…
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: Lisa’s Survivor Story
Lisa Roth was 59 when she reflected on colorectal cancer connected to Lynch syndrome, also called HNPCC. She was about 45 when the diagnosis first entered her life. One morning before work, she suddenly had intense urgency and heavy bleeding from the bowel…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Manuela’s Patient Story
Manuela Weber was 63 when she described living with metastatic breast cancer. Her first breast cancer was diagnosed in 2000 after a lump led to mammography and biopsy. Cancer was found in both breasts, but no lymph node involvement was described. Both breasts…
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 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…
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