Surgery: 1,095 Real Stories
1,095 stories match surgery. 777 of them mention chemotherapy.
Stage II Breast Cancer: Emma’s Patient Story
Emma, 48, is from Singapore and was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer after pain in her breast and armpit pushed her to seek medical attention. The diagnosis was shocking and brought sadness, fear, nervousness, worry, and a sense of emptiness. She sought…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Aura’s Patient Story
Aura, 49, discovered 2 small lumps in her right breast and was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer. Her treatment included mastectomy, lymphadenectomy, hysterectomy, and chemotherapy. Afterward, she remained on hormone therapy. The diagnosis changed her…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Lena’s Patient Story
Lena found a lump during a breast self-examination and went to the hospital for further evaluation. She was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. After considering her doctor’s recommendation and doing her own research, she underwent a lumpectomy to remove…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Magnolia’s Survivor Story
Magnolia, from Colombia, was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer after noticing a hard breast mass. Her menstrual periods had stopped at age 45, and the symptoms developed over several months before she sought medical care. The diagnosis left her…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Carole’s Survivor Story
Carole Motycka, a 44-year-old mother of 4, had no obvious cancer symptoms before an Easter hike in 2016 left her with severe back and shoulder pain. Tests showed Stage IV colorectal cancer that had spread to her liver. Doctors explained that her situation was…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Joyce’s Survivor Story
Joyce McCain, 65, was diagnosed with breast cancer after a mammogram found a mass in her left breast. A follow-up mammogram, immediate ultrasound and biopsy confirmed cancer. After reviewing options, she chose a lumpectomy, a breast-conserving surgery that…
Read this storyBRCA Ovarian Cancer: Dena’s Patient Story
Dena Svoboda was 56 when severe acid reflux led to the discovery of a 25-pound ovarian tumor. She underwent surgery to remove it, followed by chemotherapy. Just over 1 year later, the ovarian cancer returned. During an 8.5-hour operation, surgeons removed…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Ken’s Survivor Story
Ken Gremling was 75 when he noticed a lump in his right breast while showering, along with slight bleeding from the nipple. He had examined his breasts for nearly 30 years after a blood pressure medicine caused breast enlargement. Ken promptly contacted his…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Jane’s Survivor Story
Jane Gremling was 66 when a routine mammogram found cancer in her right breast. Her diagnosis came only 6 months after her husband, Ken, had been treated for breast cancer in the same breast. Jane had consistently attended screening mammograms, allowing the…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Anatole’s Survivor Story
Anatole Karpovs was a 37-year-old pediatrician when persistent bloody stools, bowel changes and abdominal pain led him to seek care in April 2013. Blood tests were normal, but scans showed a large tumor in the lower left colon. Colonoscopy and biopsy…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Julie’s Patient Story
Julie Martin had recently received a normal mammogram when her sister called to say she had stage 2 breast cancer. Because Julie also had dense breast tissue, the new family history prompted her to return to her doctor and request additional testing. Imaging…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Deidre’s Survivor Story
Deidre Smith was careful about yearly mammograms, which made her 2015 diagnosis especially shocking. She came to Cleveland Clinic Florida for a second opinion after being told elsewhere that 2 calcifications were benign. On November 23, 2015, just before…
Read this storyLung Cancer: David’s Survivor Story
David Sherman was 70, had never smoked and had already been treated for prostate cancer. Because both of his parents had died from lung cancer, he did not want to simply watch and wait when scans found tiny lung nodules. He wanted a clear diagnosis and, if…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Jamie’s Patient Story
Jamie Bernard was 32 when she was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer in 2015. She was both an MD Anderson employee and a patient, giving her a view of cancer care from two sides. Jamie underwent a mastectomy and received chemotherapy. After treatment, a…
Read this storyStage IV Ovarian Cancer: Janelle’s Patient Story
Janelle Kister faced a Stage IV ovarian cancer diagnosis but chose to move quickly into treatment. She underwent surgery and chemotherapy, then received a stem cell transplant in 2001 as part of a Phase II clinical trial. Her recovery was long, but she was…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Annie’s Patient Story
Annie Schreiber, a 36-year-old mother of 3, first noticed blood in her stool in August 2017 and thought it was probably hemorrhoids. She was young and healthy, and even her first doctor recommended more fiber and water. When symptoms persisted, she was…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Heather’s Survivor Story
Heather Kokinda was diagnosed with breast cancer at 29 while breastfeeding her 5-month-old daughter. She first noticed a lump in the shower and thought it might be a clogged milk duct, but it did not go away despite the usual measures. After the cancer…
Read this storyStage III BRCA2 Breast Cancer: Ashley’s Survivor Story
Ashley was 28 when she was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer in January 2017. At the time, she was nursing her youngest child and initially thought the lump in her right breast was a clogged milk duct. Her biggest concern after diagnosis was how cancer…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Michael’s Patient Story
Michael Johnston was diagnosed with male breast cancer in 2009. His treatment included surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, all within a single calendar year. After going through that intensive period of care, he made a personal commitment to increase…
Read this storyStage III Gastric Adenocarcinoma: Harrison’s Survivor Story
In 2018, Harrison developed persistent stomach discomfort after meals, occasional nausea, early fullness and an unplanned weight loss of about 10 pounds. A gastroenterologist performed an upper endoscopy within 2 weeks, and biopsies confirmed gastric…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Ana’s Survivor Story
Ana, 51, was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer after an unexpected workup. She had no family history of cancer and wanted a second opinion because she felt her first doctor had not given her enough information. She also described noticing blood from the…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Tonya’s Survivor Story
Tonya, a radiographer and mother of two, was living in Ireland when a routine mammogram led to a same-day biopsy. She received the biopsy result 3 days later and learned that she had breast cancer. Tonya first chose lumpectomy after her doctor recommended…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Jacquelyn’s Patient Story
Jacquelyn noticed a suspicious change during a breast self-examination and sought medical care. She was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Her doctors recommended mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, and she followed the plan. Although she felt…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Yanzi’s Patient Story
At age 45, Yanzi received a text notification offering a free mammogram and decided to schedule the screening. She had no symptoms, but the mammogram was abnormal. Further evaluation at a nearby hospital led to a diagnosis of Stage I breast cancer. The…
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