Surgery: 1,095 Real Stories
1,095 stories match surgery. 777 of them mention chemotherapy.
Stage IV EGFR Lung Cancer: Leah’s Patient Story
Leah Phillips, co-founder of the Young Lung Cancer Initiative, was diagnosed in December 2019 with Stage IV lung cancer carrying an EGFR exon 19 deletion. At diagnosis, her primary tumor was in the right middle lobe of the lung, and she had 13 bone metastases…
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 I Colorectal Cancer: Monica’s Survivor Story
Monica Dean was 46, a San Diego news anchor, and a mother of 3 when a routine first colonoscopy changed her life. She felt healthy, had no symptoms, and did not have an immediate family history of colorectal cancer. A conversation with someone who regretted…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Monica’s Survivor Story
Monica Dean was 46 and working as a news anchor in San Diego when she decided it was time for routine colorectal cancer screening. She had no symptoms, no immediate family history, and had often reported on the rise of colorectal cancer in adults under 50…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Michelle’s Patient Story
Michelle was a 40-year-old 5th-grade teacher when Stage IV colorectal cancer was diagnosed in 2017. For years, she had chronic constipation and bloating, but those symptoms were explained away as medication effects or other issues. Severe pain eventually sent…
Read this storyStage I HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Mandy’s Patient Story
Mandy was 44 and raising 2 children when a routine mammogram in April 2024 led to more imaging. She had recently lost about 30 pounds, so she was not alarmed when she was called back for a diagnostic mammogram on May 28. After several rounds of images, the…
Read this storyStage 0 Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Kathleen’s Survivor Story
Kathleen first lived with years of imaging follow-up for a small shadow in her left breast, then developed bloody nipple discharge. Biopsies and imaging did not clearly show invasive cancer, but DCIS became concerning enough that mastectomy was recommended…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Kasey’s Patient Story
Kasey was 36 when years of abdominal cramping, mucus in her stool, and later heavy rectal bleeding led to her first colonoscopy in February 2024. She expected an explanation such as hemorrhoids or a fissure, but the gastroenterologist found a large colon mass…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Chloe’s Survivor Story
Chloe’s Stage III colon cancer was found in early 2024 after symptoms that kept getting worse. She had bloating and stomach problems, then weight loss, fatigue, lack of appetite, and abdominal swelling. Because she already had anemia, some symptoms were first…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Tia’s Patient Story
After breast cancer surgery, Tia developed significant stiffness in her left shoulder and swelling in her chest. The shoulder felt almost frozen, and after several unsuccessful attempts to find an explanation she learned that the symptoms could reflect early…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Chloe’s Survivor Story
Chloe was 26 and living in the UK when weeks of stomach symptoms were repeatedly treated as gastroenteritis. She had weight loss, poor appetite, vomiting, dehydration, swelling, and worsening abdominal pain, but early tests did not explain what was happening…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Kristin’s Survivor Story
Kristin had lived with IBS-like digestive problems for years, but in March 2021 her symptoms changed. Bloating, constipation, and right-sided abdominal pain became more intense, then returned with fever, sweating, nausea, vomiting, and pain worse than…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Mark’s Survivor Story
Mark was 35 when cramping episodes in 2020 led him toward a Stage IIIB colon cancer diagnosis. At first, doctors thought the pain might be appendicitis, but Mark felt that explanation did not fit what was happening in his body. He kept pushing for more…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Erica’s Survivor Story
Erica Deligne's breast cancer experience led her to choose aesthetic flat closure instead of reconstruction. After surgery changed her body, she leaned into style as a way to rebuild confidence rather than hide what she had been through. Her work now centers…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Claudia’s Survivor Story
Claudia had a routine mammogram at 40 that came back clear, even though she was told she had extremely dense breast tissue. One year later, during a regular OB-GYN visit, her provider felt 2 lumps. Follow-up imaging and biopsy confirmed multifocal invasive…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Heather’s Survivor Story
Heather Russell was 35 when months of blood in her stool and thinner stools led to a colonoscopy on her birthday in March 2020. A local clinician had previously suggested hemorrhoids, and Heather delayed the procedure even as symptoms worsened. Her younger…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Courtney’s Survivor Story
Courtney Vigars was 27 when she noticed blood in her stool while preparing for her wedding in 2019. She initially attributed it to stress, and a clinician suggested hemorrhoids, but the bleeding continued and became heavier. A colonoscopy found a rectal mass…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Bill’s Patient Story
Bill was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer just before his 44th birthday. He had noticed blood in his stool for several weeks but initially dismissed it. His wife Lisa, a nurse, urged him to get a colonoscopy. The test found a cancerous tumor in his colon…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Mark’s Survivor Story
Mark was 35 when repeated severe right-sided cramps pushed him to seek answers. An emergency-room visit ruled out appendicitis, but he still felt something was wrong and followed up with a gastroenterologist. A colonoscopy found a mass on the right side of…
Read this storyStage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Stephani’s Survivor Story
Stephani St. Cyr felt a long lump under her right arm while watching a movie at home. Her primary doctor suspected a cyst but referred her to a specialist. The breast cancer doctor immediately suspected cancer, and biopsy confirmed it. Further tests showed…
Read this storyStage IV KRAS Colorectal Cancer: Bill’s Patient Story
Bill was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer at 44 after blood in his stool led to a colonoscopy in May 2020. The cancer had already spread to his liver. At Mayo Clinic, his team planned 6 rounds of chemotherapy near home, followed by combined laparoscopic…
Read this storyStage IV KRAS Lung Cancer: Rosemary’s Patient Story
Rosemary Conway was 60 when she was diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2017 after developing a raspy voice and coughing up a small amount of blood. She had never smoked and was an active runner. In September, surgeons removed the lower lobe of her left lung…
Read this storyNon-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Donnita’s Survivor Story
Donnita was diagnosed at 68 with Stage IA2 non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma even though she had no symptoms. Years earlier, she had asked for a low-dose lung cancer screening CT because of her smoking history and family history. After a 5-year gap during…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Shannin’s Patient Story
Shannin was 26 when months of severe abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting turned into a Stage IV colon cancer diagnosis. Her symptoms were first dismissed as food intolerance, but she knew something was wrong and kept seeking medical opinions. An urgent care…
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