Surgery: 1,095 Real Stories
1,095 stories match surgery. 777 of them mention chemotherapy.
Stage III Ovarian Cancer: Karen’s Survivor Story
Karen Howley LaCamera was 57 when sharp abdominal pain sent her to the emergency room in February 2018. A scan for suspected gallbladder trouble also found an orange-sized ovarian tumor, and she was diagnosed with Stage III ovarian cancer. Within 2 weeks…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Dan’s Survivor Story
Dan Gut was 39 when symptoms he had ignored for about 18 months led to a major colorectal cancer prevention surgery. He had changes in bowel habits and blood in his stool, often after eating ice cream, and thought he might be lactose intolerant. When the…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Eileen’s Survivor Story
Eileen’s lobular breast cancer was diagnosed in September 2018, when a radiologist called just after her plane landed. Early consultations suggested lumpectomy and 5 weeks of radiation, but an MRI changed the plan. What first appeared to be a line of invasive…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Cindi’s Survivor Story
Cindi Terwoord was 62 when she acted quickly on new blood in her stool and was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer in September 2019. A local oncologist recommended starting chemotherapy immediately, but Cindi waited a few days for her Cleveland Clinic…
Read this storyStage II HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: María’s Survivor Story
María Ángeles found a small lump in her armpit while showering, just months after a divorce and during a stressful period of rebuilding her life. She had also had fever and some weight loss, but the lump was the sign that pushed her to see her gynecologist. A…
Read this storyBRCA1 Breast Cancer: Mary’s Patient Story
In 2017, this nurse underwent a mammogram after her doctor raised concerns about very high inflammatory markers and a family history of ovarian cancer. The mammogram detected early-stage breast cancer. A second evaluation at MD Anderson showed that the breast…
Read this storyStage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Loli’s Patient Story
Loli was 63 when she shared the story of having breast cancer 3 times. About 4 years earlier, she felt a hard area in her breast, like mastitis, and quickly saw her gynecologist. An urgent ultrasound and biopsy led to a HER2-positive breast cancer diagnosis…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Stephanie’s Patient Story
Stephanie was 68 when she shared a long breast cancer history. In 2004, a routine mammogram found an abnormality on the right side. She had a needle-localized biopsy, lumpectomy, and sentinel node biopsy, then was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ and…
Read this storyStage IV Inflammatory Breast Cancer: Caroline’s Patient Story
Caroline McGuirk first noticed that her right breast felt tighter in September 2020. Over the following weeks, she developed swelling, redness, and dimpling, and later felt masses behind the nipple. Because she was 31 and otherwise healthy, breast cancer had…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Marie-Pierre’s Patient Story
Marie-Pierre Bertrand was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer when she was barely 50. Before the diagnosis, she had strong fatigue and struggled to get through normal activities. A lymph node was found in 2014, and a mammogram led to the discovery of…
Read this storyHR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Suzanne’s Patient Story
Suzanne was 57 when she found a small lump in her left breast in March 2021. She noticed it while checking soreness she associated with strength training. Mammography and ultrasound were followed by a fine-needle aspiration, and she was told the sampled cells…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Virgie’s Patient Story
Virgie Shaw was 75 when she finally sought care for a left-breast mass she had noticed 15 months earlier. A retired licensed practical nurse, she had delayed evaluation during the COVID-19 pandemic even as the mass grew larger and painful. In April 2021…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Xue’s Patient Story
Xue Ming was 26 when diarrhea that lasted more than 10 days led him to seek medical care. A doctor felt what seemed to be a tumor, and he was referred from a town hospital to larger hospitals. Colonoscopy and biopsy confirmed middle-stage rectal cancer. The…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer Survivor Story
A R M sought medical care after poor appetite and weight loss became difficult to ignore. Testing led to a diagnosis of Stage III colorectal cancer less than a year before the story was shared. The diagnosis brought fear, sadness and worry, especially about…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Nelly’s Patient Story
Nelly, from Colombia, noticed movable breast lumps and pain before being diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. She initially felt optimistic and courageous, but deciding on treatment also brought anger, anxiety, fear, and discouragement. Her doctors…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Sylvia’s Survivor Story
Sylvia found a breast lump during a self-examination in the shower and underwent several tests before being diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer in November 2022. Having previously lost her mother to lung cancer, Sylvia found the diagnosis devastating and…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Carlie’s Patient Story
Carlie, 51, was diagnosed with Stage IIIB breast cancer after about 6 months of symptoms in her right breast, including an itchy nipple, sharp searing pain, fatigue, and a feeling that something was off. At first she was told the cancer looked like Stage IIB…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Edith’s Patient Story
Edith noticed rapid changes in the size and shape of her left breast, followed by a new lump. She was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. The diagnosis left her feeling powerless, vulnerable, and guilty that she had not recognized the symptoms earlier, but…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Carmen’s Survivor Story
Carmen, 56, is from Colombia, works in bacteriology, and has 1 child. She went to the doctor after a mass in her right breast began to grow and change the shape of the breast. She also noticed redness, swelling, nipple itching, and throbbing pain. She was…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Antonia’s Survivor Story
Antonia was 39 and raising 2 children when she noticed a protruding mass in her breast, along with irritation and swelling. She was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. The news left her frightened, confused and overwhelmed, with a strong sense of…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Paisley’s Patient Story
Paisley was attending an appointment for an unrelated neck problem when a doctor felt a lump about 4 cm above her left nipple. She had undergone mammography 3 months earlier, but dense breast tissue had obscured the tumor. Ultrasound followed by biopsy…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Aalia’s Survivor Story
Aalia was 48 when fatigue and a lump she felt while undressing led to a diagnosis of Stage III breast cancer. The diagnosis frightened her, and she worried about what treatment and the future would mean. Her doctors discussed multiple surgeries and other…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Tessa’s Patient Story
Tessa’s breast cancer was detected during a routine mammogram, when a small tumor measuring about 12 mm was found. The diagnosis came as a surprise, especially because Tessa was caring for an elderly mother at the time and felt there was little space in life…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Elizabeth’s Survivor Story
Elizabeth was living in Canada when blood in her stool led her to seek medical care in December 2022. Testing showed Stage III rectal adenocarcinoma. The diagnosis left her angry, frightened, and worried about dying and leaving her children without their…
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