Surgery: 1,095 Real Stories
1,095 stories match surgery. 777 of them mention chemotherapy.
Stage IV Gastric Cancer: Faye’s Patient Story
Faye Hood was 70 and training for a half-marathon in 2017 when she was diagnosed with Stage IV stomach cancer. She had noticed bloating and bowel changes but initially thought they were part of getting older. After deciding to seek care at MD Anderson, an…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Dan’s Patient Story
Dan DiNardo was 49 when he was diagnosed with advanced male breast cancer in 2015. He had first noticed a breast lump, but after a mammogram he was told to return if it changed. For nearly a year, the lump grew. Bleeding and skin changes finally pushed him to…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Constance’s Survivor Story
Constance Porter was treated for breast cancer and became cancer-free, but some effects of treatment lasted far longer than she expected. She lost her hair during chemotherapy and was often told not to worry because it would grow back. Instead, she developed…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Marese’s Survivor Story
Marese was referred to a breast specialist and diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. The news left her feeling numb, helpless, vulnerable, isolated, and worried about the future. She changed to a hospital closer to home, consulted a second oncologist…
Read this storyStage I BRCA Breast Cancer Patient Story
N had no breast symptoms when her family doctor recommended mammography after menopause. Her mother had experienced breast cancer, although N reported no inherited BRCA finding. Extra mammogram images and an urgent ultrasound led to a direct diagnosis of…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Susanna’s Patient Story
Susanna sought medical attention after noticing a swollen breast and was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer. The diagnosis came as a shock and brought fear, helplessness, worry and confusion about what might happen next. Her doctor recommended…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Cancer: Aloysius’s Patient Story
Aloysius had no cancer symptoms when a routine medical checkup led his doctor to recommend further testing. The additional evaluation eventually resulted in a diagnosis of Stage I colorectal cancer. Following the diagnosis, he underwent a partial colectomy to…
Read this storyStage II Gastric Cancer: Drew’s Patient Story
Drew sought medical care after experiencing stomach pain, and an endoscopy was recommended in part because gastric cancer had affected other family members. The evaluation confirmed Stage II stomach cancer. Drew later shared that a father and uncle had also…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Cancer: Andy’s Survivor Story
A routine colonoscopy a few years ago led to Andy’s diagnosis of Stage I colorectal cancer. Doctors said the 5-year survival rate was 90%, which offered some reassurance, but the diagnosis still brought fear, surprise, nervousness and worry, especially…
Read this storyStage I Gastric Adenocarcinoma: Kaisu’s Survivor Story
Kaisu, a retired nurse in the United States, had experienced mild difficulty swallowing years before the cancer diagnosis. An earlier endoscopy had shown intestinal metaplasia and follow-up was advised. When another endoscopy was eventually performed, a…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Catherine’s Survivor Story
Catherine, 55, was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer in 2020 after finding a lump. Cancer had already affected her family, including an aunt, uncle, and grandfather, so the diagnosis brought intense fear. Her doctor told her the estimated 5-year survival…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Cherie’s Survivor Story
Cherie was 64 when her family doctor advised her to have a mammogram because of her age. She had also been experiencing breast pain. Testing led to a stage 2 breast cancer diagnosis. The treatment decisions made her feel motivated, although she remained…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Jaidive’s Survivor Story
Jaidive was 44 when she was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer in 2020. She had lost both her maternal grandmother and mother to cancer, so finding a suspicious breast mass through self-examination was frightening. A breast cancer specialist confirmed the…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Cindy’s Survivor Story
Cindy was 45 when redness and flaky skin on her breast made her feel that something was not normal. At her annual mammogram, doctors found a small mass, and her gynecologist confirmed stage 1 breast cancer. She was frightened and worried about what the…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Serena’s Patient Story
Serena had no suspicious symptoms when a mammogram detected her cancer. She went on to have breast-conserving surgery with a lumpectomy, lymph node removal and radiation therapy, following her doctor’s recommendation. She is now undergoing hormone therapy…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Jana’s Survivor Story
Jana learned she had Stage I colon adenocarcinoma in July 2020 after stabbing stomach pain, blood in her stool, weight loss and feeling unwell led to further testing. At first, she was told the cancer might also involve her liver and lungs, which made the…
Read this storyStage III Gastric Cancer: Abdul’s Patient Story
Abdul had experienced stomach pain for years and often attributed it to fatigue from work. One day the pain became so severe that Abdul could barely stand, and a hospital visit led to a diagnosis of Stage III gastric cancer. The diagnosis brought fear…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Audrey’s Patient Story
Audrey, 66, had a strong family history of cancer: her mother had breast cancer, her sister had endometrial cancer, and her father had prostate cancer. She had previously undergone a left-breast quadrantectomy in 2010, with milk ducts removed to prevent…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Laura’s Survivor Story
Laura's breast cancer journey began after she experienced sharp pain in her right breast and nipple discharge. The diagnosis brought intense uncertainty, including fear of dying and fear of how treatment would affect her. Her care included surgery to remove…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Alexandria’s Patient Story
Alexandria was 27 when she felt a hard breast lump in the shower. The ultrasound happened the day after her birthday, and the biopsy found abnormal cells that led to a breast cancer diagnosis. She waited to tell her parents until the diagnosis was clearer…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Natalia’s Patient Story
Natalia Padron’s breast cancer was found after she noticed that something looked different in her breasts and sought routine breast imaging. The report was highly suspicious, and she was referred to a surgeon. She had a family history of breast cancer through…
Read this storyStage III Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Vanessa’s Survivor Story
Vanessa Sanders had worked at MD Anderson for less than 1 year when she became a patient herself. She had felt a small lump in her left breast for years, but it had not bothered her. Then sharp chest pains began, sometimes so intense that they felt like labor…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Teri’s Patient Story
Teri Griege became an endurance athlete after running a marathon in 2002 and completed her first Ironman in 2008. While training for another Ironman in 2009, she developed symptoms that suggested colorectal cancer but initially ignored them. Two weeks after…
Read this storyStage I Ovarian Cancer: Mary’s Survivor Story
Mary “Dicey” Jackson Scroggins spent about 2 years dealing with abdominal bloating, weight gain, frequent urination and heavy menstrual bleeding before ovarian cancer was discovered. In September 1996, at age 46, she underwent a hysterectomy for fibroids and…
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