Surgery: 1,095 Real Stories
1,095 stories match surgery. 777 of them mention chemotherapy.
Stage IV EGFR Lung Cancer: Ivy’s Survivor Story
Ivy E. was 47 when neck pain and trouble straightening her elbow led to an unexpected Stage IV lung cancer diagnosis. Doctors first thought the symptoms might be an overuse injury. Imaging of the elbow showed a mass involving the joint and bone. After…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Cristina’s Survivor Story
Cristina Patrick underwent surgery on July 27, 2020, to remove a malignant mass from her left ovary and was initially told she had ovarian cancer. Continued gastrointestinal problems led to a colonoscopy, which found a mass in her descending colon. A colon…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Jena’s Patient Story
Jena Sica was 25 when rectal bleeding and fatigue led to a colonoscopy and a diagnosis of Stage IIIC colon cancer in 2020. Her care included biomarker testing, chemotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy, and surgery. Jena used her experience to emphasize…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Jelena’s Survivor Story
Jelena was 34, healthy, and running half marathons when she began noticing unusual digestive changes. Her gas smelled different, then she saw blood in her stool. Because colorectal cancer did not run in her family and she felt otherwise well, she first…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Ann’s Survivor Story
Ann Gustafson was 49 when she noticed blood with bowel movements. Her doctor promptly referred her for a gastrointestinal consultation and colonoscopy. When Ann woke from the procedure, she was alone and learned that doctors had found a large tumor believed…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Kara’s Patient Story
Kara Wutzke considered herself to be in the best shape of her life when persistent gas, bloating, abdominal discomfort, and irregular bowel movements began to interfere with how she felt. As a health and fitness professional, she first examined her diet and…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Stacy’s Survivor Story
Stacy Hughes was 38 when she was diagnosed with Stage IIIB colon cancer in April 2023. She had noticed persistent changes in bowel habits, narrow stools, stomach cramping, bloating, fullness, and pain in the left lower abdomen. Her primary-care clinician felt…
Read this storyStage IV Lung Cancer: Deborah’s Patient Story
Deborah Persinger was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2010 after bronchitis-like symptoms would not go away and early X-rays and tests did not explain the problem. A local thoracic surgeon gave her a poor 5-year survival estimate, and she asked to be treated at…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Jay’s Survivor Story
Jay McCoy was 48 when a scheduled executive physical and routine colonoscopy unexpectedly found Stage II colon cancer. His wife, a family medicine physician, arranged the colonoscopy because screening recommendations had shifted to begin at age 45. During the…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Sally’s Survivor Story
In 2013, Sally Johnston was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer after her primary care provider found a lump near her clavicle. A biopsy confirmed breast cancer involving lymph nodes. The cancer was estrogen receptor-positive. Sally began treatment with an…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jim’s Patient Story
Jim Bromwich was 36 when mild abdominal cramps and a small amount of blood in his stool pushed him to ask for a colonoscopy. He had been active and healthy, and an initial doctor reassured him that colon cancer was unlikely at his age. His GP still offered a…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Gail’s Patient Story
Gail, 65, is a mother of 2 from the United Kingdom who works in administration. In August 2024, she was diagnosed with Stage III luminal A breast cancer after feeling a lump in her breast that did not go away after a few weeks. She was surprised by the…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Debra’s Patient Story
Debra was diagnosed with Stage III colorectal cancer in June 2024 after symptoms that included blood in her stool, incomplete bowel movements, weight loss, fatigue, fecal incontinence, and increasing groin pain. Her diagnosis came during an emergency visit…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Elaine’s Survivor Story
Elaine’s colorectal cancer was discovered after a fecal immunochemical test led to a colonoscopy in November 2024. The colonoscopy showed Stage III colon adenocarcinoma. Elaine approached the diagnosis with optimism and felt encouraged by the confidence of…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Anna’s Patient Story
Anna sought medical care after changes in bowel habits, blood in the stool and persistent abdominal symptoms. The problem was initially treated as a suspected perianal abscess, but an MRI later found a tumor. Further scans showed cancer involving 2 lymph…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Ger’s Survivor Story
Ger, a part-time retail assistant in Ireland, was diagnosed with Stage I colon adenocarcinoma through a bowel screening program in May 2024. There had been no symptoms, so the diagnosis came as a surprise. Ger also felt sadness and fear because 3 workmates…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Bridget’s Survivor Story
Bridget noticed blood in the stool and other symptoms in April 2024 but waited a few months before seeking medical care. The diagnosis of colorectal cancer was further delayed after early concerns were not taken seriously, leaving Bridget angry about the time…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jeff’s Patient Story
Jeff Williams was 50 when his first routine colonoscopy found a tumor in his sigmoid colon. Scans the next day confirmed Stage IV colorectal cancer that had spread to his liver and lungs, with 4 liver lesions and 3 lung lesions. He first had surgery to remove…
Read this storyStage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Chantal’s Survivor Story
Chantal was 24 and already knew she carried a BRCA1 mutation when she felt a sudden painful lump during a beach trip. Just 1 month earlier, her preventive MRI had looked normal. Because the lump was visible and clearly new, she sought testing quickly. Biopsy…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Dania’s Patient Story
Dania Martinez was 35, married, and a mother of 3 when a week of unusual abdominal pain and bloating led her to the emergency room in September 2022. She had long dealt with food-related bloating and constipation, so at first she thought the pain might be…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Allison’s Patient Story
Allison Rosen was 32 when concerning symptoms led her doctor to refer her to a gastroenterologist. An X-ray showed a blockage, and a colonoscopy confirmed that a 13-centimeter tumor in her colon was causing it. She was diagnosed with early-onset colorectal…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Stephanie’s Survivor Story
Stephanie was 32 when years of stomach pain, bloating, feeling run down, and low iron finally led to a Stage III colon cancer diagnosis. She did not have blood in her stool, which made colon cancer feel unlikely to her at first. Doctors initially attributed…
Read this storyStage IV BRAF Colorectal Cancer: Loralee’s Patient Story
Loralee Lovell had lived with irritable bowel symptoms for years, so blood in her stool did not initially seem unusual. After moving from North Dakota to Texas at the end of 2020, she was exhausted from the move, caring for 5 children, and a new litter of…
Read this storyStage I Lung Cancer: Debra’s Survivor Story
Debra Haberstroh went to the emergency room over the 2023 New Year’s holiday after her oxygen level dropped to 85%. Because she had asthma and felt poorly, the emergency physician ordered a CT scan to look for pneumonia. Instead, the scan found a tumor in her…
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