Surgery: 1,095 Real Stories
1,095 stories match surgery. 777 of them mention chemotherapy.
Stage III Gastric Cancer: Alina’s Survivor Story
Alina described feeling frightened, nervous, and worried after learning about a Stage III gastric cancer diagnosis. The experience also brought disbelief, resentment, and periods of emotional numbness. After diagnosis, Alina began eating more healthfully and…
Read this storyStage I Gastric Cancer: Allen’s Patient Story
Allen Wang sought medical care in 2008 after noticing an unusual feeling in his stomach. An endoscopy and biopsy showed stomach cancer. A community surgeon recommended removing about two-thirds of his stomach through a large incision, but Allen wanted a…
Read this storyInvasive Ductal Carcinoma: Keely’s Patient Story
Keely first felt a lump in her left breast on March 4, 2023, while away for her daughter’s soccer tournament. She had never routinely checked her breasts, but that night she felt strongly prompted to do so. On April 17, biopsy results confirmed poorly…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Joanne’s Patient Story
Six years after Joanne Sabol was diagnosed with lung cancer, she faced a second primary cancer when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent 2 lumpectomies and was recovering well after the breast surgeries. Her breast cancer experience occurred…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Stefanie’s Patient Story
Stefanie London was diagnosed with breast cancer without a family history of the disease. The diagnosis was difficult to absorb, and the prospect of surgery felt especially daunting because her previous hospital experiences had been related to psychiatric…
Read this storyStage IV BRCA1 Ovarian Cancer: Lauren’s Patient Story
Lauren Corduck learned on December 31, 2016, that she carried a BRCA1 mutation inherited from her father. She had been preparing to consider risk-reducing surgery, but an MRI ordered for severe back pain revealed an unexpected finding. Further evaluation…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Tracey’s Patient Story
Tracey learned she had breast cancer after her first mammogram. She had not noticed cancer symptoms before screening. The diagnosis made both Tracey and her husband extremely nervous, especially because breast and pancreatic cancer were present in her family…
Read this storyOvarian Cancer: Vilma’s Patient Story
Vilma Rosario had recently come through treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma when a follow-up visit found a peach-size cyst on her ovary. Because the mass could have been benign, borderline or malignant, she met a gynecologic cancer surgeon for further…
Read this storyStage I Ovarian Cancer: Jane’s Survivor Story
Jane McGrath was 45 when persistent bloating, back pain and fatigue led her to seek medical attention. A transvaginal ultrasound and a second scan showed a growth about the size of an orange on her left ovary. She was referred to Memorial Sloan Kettering…
Read this storyOvarian Cancer: Kimberly’s Patient Story
Kimberly Zukerberg described how ovarian cancer abruptly changed a life that had been highly active. Before diagnosis, she taught spin and swimming, ran a summer camp and played tennis. After ovarian cancer and major surgery, she spent about a month in the…
Read this storyStage II Ovarian Cancer: Dana’s Survivor Story
A painful lump in the left side of this patient’s abdomen eventually led to a diagnosis of bilateral ovarian cancer in 2018. Early imaging showed very large tumors, but repeat evaluation at MD Anderson found that the cancer had not spread extensively. It was…
Read this storyLung Cancer: Felipe’s Patient Story
Felipe first noticed something was wrong while running a half marathon in 2019. A cough and unusual shortness of breath persisted despite treatment for chronic bronchitis and asthma. By 2021, after worsening symptoms and delays in care during the COVID-19…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Rocio’s Survivor Story
Rocio was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer after noticing a non-healing scab on her right nipple along with nipple discharge, redness, irritation and thickening of the breast. She felt that her first doctor did not give her enough information, so she…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Rosa’s Survivor Story
Rosa sought a second opinion after a breast lump and redness and swelling led to her cancer diagnosis. Following her doctor's recommendation, she underwent a lumpectomy to remove the tumor, followed by chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormone therapy. She…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Sofia’s Survivor Story
Sofia experienced burning pain in both breasts for about two years before her diagnosis. An early examination did not identify a clear problem. When the pain returned, mammography, ultrasound and MRI were performed, and ultrasound showed two cysts in the…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Sol’s Patient Story
Sol had a family history of cancer and sought testing while her sister was undergoing treatment. She was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer after also noticing lumps in her breast. Feeling that she had not received enough information at first, she sought…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Sonia’s Survivor Story
Sonia first noticed burning pain in her breast and a lump that gradually became larger and harder. She went to a general medicine clinic, where a mammogram was ordered. She later had a breast ultrasound that identified the tumor. Because she felt the first…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Sumita’s Patient Story
Sumita found a lump in the breast and struggled to accept the diagnosis of breast cancer. The news felt unreal and left Sumita disillusioned, frightened and angry. Doctors initially recommended a lumpectomy together with hormone therapy and targeted therapy…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Susannah’s Patient Story
Susannah describes the breast cancer journey as frightening and isolating. Fear, helplessness, nervousness and worry were especially intense because treatment began during the COVID period, leaving Susannah largely alone through the experience. Doctors…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Renacer’s Survivor Story
Renacer sought medical attention after developing severe breast pain, a lump, and bloody discharge from the nipple. The diagnosis brought fear, worry, and a sense of helplessness. After diagnosis, Renacer exercised more often and ate healthier meals on most…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Riley’s Patient Story
Riley found a lump in the lower part of the left breast that became increasingly painful and prompted a specialist consultation. After diagnosis, Riley reduced alcohol use and tried to eat healthier meals 3 to 5 days a week, although exercise became more…
Read this storyStage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Nahilys’s Patient Story
Nahilys had previously experienced thyroid cancer when, one year later, she was diagnosed with stage 2 triple-negative breast cancer. A niece had also had breast cancer. Nahilys sought a second opinion from a more experienced doctor and approached the new…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Nathalie’s Patient Story
Nathalie, a homemaker and mother of two from Colombia, had been living with stage 4 breast cancer for more than three years. A strong family history prompted her to seek evaluation after noticing changes in breast shape and areas of thickening. Several…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Nelly’s Patient Story
Nelly, from Colombia, sought medical care after noticing a change in the shape of her breast and a lump. She was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer and felt frightened, nervous, vulnerable, and worried about what the illness would mean for her family. Her…
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