Surgery: 1,095 Real Stories
1,095 stories match surgery. 777 of them mention chemotherapy.
Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Susie’s’s Patient Story
Susie became involved with the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance after her daughter was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma. Her daughter was 42 and living in California when doctors found an 8 cm ILC in the left breast. Her mammogram had been clear the…
Read this storyHER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Joy’s Survivor Story
Joy Albi was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer after a routine mammogram in November 2019 showed a small abnormal area. A biopsy confirmed cancer, and she underwent a lumpectomy in Cincinnati. When Joy later traveled to Boston to discuss joining a…
Read this storyNon-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Rachel’s Survivor Story
Rachel Chua Bradley was 50 when she was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer and treated near home in northern Virginia. A few years later, the cancer came back. Rachel, an ICU nurse, wanted more information and a plan she trusted, so she went to MD…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Laurie’s Patient Story
Laurie was just past her 60th birthday and preparing to grow her health policy consulting work when a routine mammogram changed her plans. She had no family history of breast cancer, did not feel a lump, and initially thought the finding had to be wrong. A…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Hillary’s Survivor Story
Hillary Robinson was 52 when a routine medical exam found something abnormal in her right breast. She had been busy with family, community work and her family’s manufacturing business, and she had put off yearly mammograms. An ultrasound and mammogram showed…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Brandon’s Survivor Story
Brandon Dale was 53 when he shared how symptoms he thought were hemorrhoids turned out to be Stage III rectal cancer. For years, he had burning and discomfort that would flare up, settle down with cream, and then return. He did not realize the problem was…
Read this storyStage III KRAS Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Terri’s Survivor Story
Terri Conneran was 55 when she was diagnosed with Stage IIIA KRAS-mutated non-small cell lung cancer. Her symptoms first looked like asthma, allergies, bronchitis, or pneumonia, but breathing problems kept getting worse. An X-ray done after she developed…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Linda’s Patient Story
Linda Stokes was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2015. Genetic testing then found a germline CDH1 mutation, which also placed her at high hereditary risk for diffuse gastric cancer. In June 2015, Linda chose bilateral mastectomy rather than the…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Lee’s Survivor Story
Lee Jones was 55 when a CT scan for what seemed like a prostate infection unexpectedly found 5 spots on his liver. A colonoscopy soon identified the primary tumor in his colon, making the diagnosis Stage IV colon cancer because it had already spread to the…
Read this storyPeutz-Jeghers syndrome / hereditary GI polyposis risk; no confirmed colorectal cancer diagnosis: Kara’s Patient Story
Kara Fahey was about 8 when an emergency evaluation during a family trip led to a Peutz-Jeghers syndrome diagnosis. The condition is hereditary and causes benign polyps throughout the gastrointestinal tract, along with dark spots on areas such as the lips and…
Read this storyStage I Lung Cancer: Dave’s Survivor Story
Dave Bjork was in his mid-30s, active, and a non-smoker when a case of pneumonia led to a lung cancer diagnosis. He had become sick during a cold fishing trip in Maine and was treated with antibiotics after a chest X-ray. Because the abnormal finding remained…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Faith’s Survivor Story
Faith, 37, was pregnant in mid-2021 when she told her obstetrician about lumps in her breasts. There was no unusual discharge or pain, but ultrasound and biopsy confirmed Stage II ER-positive, HER2-positive breast cancer. The diagnosis brought fear, sadness…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Beth’s Survivor Story
Beth, 41, followed her intuition after persistent breast pain continued beyond her menstrual cycle. She scheduled a mammogram, and by that evening she learned she had Stage III breast cancer. She had no other symptoms, so acting on that pain became a key part…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Luz’s Survivor Story
Luz sought medical care after developing arm and shoulder pain and noticing changes in the shape and size of her breast. With guidance from her doctor, she chose a mastectomy, lymph-node surgery, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy. Making the decision left her…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Cleo’s Survivor Story
Cleo was diagnosed with Stage III colorectal cancer in February 2021 after weight loss, persistent stomach pain, and blood in her stool led to a colonoscopy. The tumor had begun to spread locally but was still described as contained within the colon. The…
Read this storyStage I HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Betty’s Survivor Story
Betty, 59, sought medical attention after noticing white spots around her nipple. Testing showed Stage I breast cancer. The diagnosis was frightening and made her worry about dying too young, especially because cancer had affected other members of her family…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Ana’s Survivor Story
Ana was 57 and living in Colombia when she found a lump in her left breast while bathing. A general practitioner arranged a mammogram and then a biopsy, which confirmed stage 2 breast cancer. She was a stay-at-home mother of 3 and the head of her household…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Onagh’s Survivor Story
Onagh found a lump in her breast and was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. The news brought fear, grief, resentment, isolation, and a sense of vulnerability. After diagnosis, she increased her exercise and reduced her alcohol intake from 8 drinks to 2…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Amanda’s Patient Story
Amanda was 34 when she was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer in April 2021. Her family history included an uncle, aunt and grandfather with colon cancer. The diagnosis of colon adenocarcinoma came as a shock, especially because she had a young son and…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Harper’s Patient Story
Harper, 58, sought medical help after noticing a red patch on her breast. Testing at a hospital in Christchurch, New Zealand led to a diagnosis of Stage IV breast cancer. The news was overwhelming, especially because she had already lost her father and…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Maria’s Patient Story
Maria’s doctors initially planned mastectomy, lymphadenectomy, and chemotherapy for her breast cancer. During the mastectomy, they found that cancer had reached lymph nodes, and the treatment plan had to change. Radiation therapy was later added. Treatment…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Mariana’s Patient Story
Mariana was diagnosed with stage I breast cancer through a health examination after also experiencing a pricking pain. Her family history included two cousins with breast cancer and two cousins with leukemia. She felt emotionally neutral when first given the…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Angela’s Survivor Story
Angela developed diarrhea, blood in the stool, weight loss, loss of appetite and general discomfort over several months. Access to medical care was difficult during the COVID period, and when Angela was eventually assessed, what had seemed like it might be…
Read this storyStage II Gastric Cancer: Mawar’s Patient Story
Mawar sought medical help after persistent fatigue, heartburn and pain around the stomach or breastbone. The evaluation led to a diagnosis of Stage II stomach cancer. Following the doctor's recommendation, Mawar underwent a partial gastrectomy and also…
Read this story