Surgery: 1,095 Real Stories
1,095 stories match surgery. 777 of them mention chemotherapy.
Gastric Cancer: Amanda’s Survivor Story
Amanda knew that a CDH1 gene mutation ran in the family and increased the risk of both hereditary diffuse gastric cancer and breast cancer. Amanda’s mother had breast cancer, while a sister and brother had gastric cancer. After testing positive for the…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Amanda’s Survivor Story
Amanda knew that a CDH1 gene mutation ran in the family and increased the risk of both breast cancer and hereditary diffuse gastric cancer. Amanda’s mother had breast cancer, while a sister and brother had gastric cancer. After testing positive for the…
Read this storyBRCA1 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Nadine’s Survivor Story
Nadine Beech was 27, healthy and a non-smoker when she was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer in 1997. After she started spitting up blood following a water-skiing accident, the problem was first treated as a bruised lung. Several doctors later, an 8…
Read this storyStage III HER2-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Dorothy’s Survivor Story
Dorothy Paterson found a lump in her right breast while showering in 1998, even though her mammogram the year before had been clear. Testing first showed invasive ductal carcinoma, and additional evaluation at MD Anderson revealed HER2-positive breast cancer…
Read this storyStage IV Lung Cancer: Bill’s Patient Story
Bill Smith had no symptoms when a routine preoperative physical in 2010 led his doctor to order a chest X-ray and refer him to a lung specialist. He was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. A full-body scan also found 2 tumors in his brain, and he had gamma…
Read this storyStage I Gastric Cancer Patient Story
One of two sisters from a family affected by stomach, colorectal, and breast cancer tested positive for a CDH1 mutation in early 2016. The sisters were ages 31 and 34 when they faced the decision together. Their doctors explained that hereditary diffuse…
Read this storyStage I Gastric Cancer Patient Story
The second of two sisters from a family affected by stomach, colorectal, and breast cancer tested positive for a CDH1 mutation in early 2016. The women were ages 31 and 34 when they faced the decision together. Because reliable screening for hereditary…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Stephanie’s Survivor Story
Stephanie Spiesz was 50 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2013. She had noticed lumps in her left breast but was not especially worried until her husband urged her to see a doctor. Within days, she had a checkup, mammogram and biopsy, and…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Mauriel’s Survivor Story
Mauriel Davis sought a mammogram after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had felt a small lump months earlier but had ignored it until her mother urged her to get checked. At a Cleveland Clinic OB/GYN visit, the area was first thought to be a…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Steve’s Survivor Story
Steve B., a 30-year-old computer programmer, noticed intermittent rectal bleeding and the feeling that he needed to use the bathroom but could not. His family physician knew Steve had a family history of colon cancer and recommended colonoscopy. The test…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Kim’s Survivor Story
Kim Austin, 53, initially connected urgent bowel changes and traces of blood in her stool to stress. She also had a dull pelvic ache. After discussing the symptoms with her primary care physician, CT and MRI imaging showed a questionable liver mass. A…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Ed’s Patient Story
Ed Godic, 60, first tried changing his diet after noticing blood in his stool. When 2 weeks without gluten and with healthier meals did not improve the bleeding, he saw his primary care doctor at Cleveland Clinic Beachcliff Family Medicine. His doctor advised…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Ralph’s Survivor Story
At 58, this patient began having repeated episodes of extreme fatigue. A blood test showed very low hemoglobin, and transfusions helped temporarily, but the fatigue kept returning. After several transfusions, further investigation identified stomach cancer as…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Shirley’s Survivor Story
Shirley, from Canada, was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer in 2016 after finding a hard lump in her left breast. The news brought anger, fear and sadness, although she also held onto a sense of hope. Her doctors recommended breast-conserving surgery with…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Adriana’s Patient Story
Adriana Walsh lost her father, Steve, to stomach cancer in 2006 when she was 13. In 2009, genetic testing showed that Adriana carried the same CDH1 mutation associated with her family’s cancer history. An endoscopy in August later found evidence of stomach…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Sandra’s Patient Story
Sandra Sankar Poukkula was diagnosed with gastric cancer in 2011. She became proactive about stomach-cancer awareness and research as her family sought answers about a pattern of young gastric-cancer deaths. Sandra underwent total gastrectomy in an effort to…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Sandra’s Patient Story
Sandra Sankar Poukkula was diagnosed with gastric cancer at age 39. Genetic testing identified a CDH1 mutation inherited from her father. Her brother had previously died from gastric cancer at age 37, giving the diagnosis a strong family context. Sandra…
Read this storyStage II Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Sarah’s Patient Story
Sarah Cawley, a 32-year-old physician assistant and mother of 2, first noticed a breast lump while breastfeeding. That lump was a milk cyst, but she was advised to return after breastfeeding ended. At the next visit, another lump was found and monitored…
Read this storyStage II BRCA1 Breast Cancer: Mariana’s Patient Story
At age 30, this patient found a large lump in her left breast after noticing a brief pain. A mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy led to a Stage II breast cancer diagnosis. Because several relatives had developed cancer at young ages, she was also referred for…
Read this storyOvarian Cancer: Brittany’s Patient Story
This patient and her husband had always imagined having children, but ovarian cancer changed those plans. Before her ovaries were removed during cancer treatment, she was able to have eggs retrieved and frozen so they would have options for becoming parents…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Dawn’s Survivor Story
Dawn Eicher had intermittent bleeding from age 21, but for years she was told she was too young for cancer. In 2012, while pregnant at 35, she developed worsening bleeding, mucus, narrowing stools, and pain. Her symptoms continued after the birth of her son…
Read this storyOvarian Cancer: Brittany’s Patient Story
A recurrence of ovarian cancer made the summer of 2014 especially difficult for this patient. The patient spent a total of 70 days in the hospital, including 58 days at MD Anderson. During that period, the patient needed a nasogastric tube, underwent two…
Read this storyGastric Cancer Patient Story
Jessica’s mother was diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer in the summer of 2004 after an endoscopy for persistent gastrointestinal pain. She underwent surgery that removed two-thirds of her stomach and one-third of her esophagus. Recovery was complicated by…
Read this storyGastric Cancer: Gretchen’s Survivor Story
Gretchen Borzi learned in 2009 that she carried a germline CDH1 mutation, placing her at very high risk for hereditary diffuse gastric cancer. After considering the recommendation for preventive surgery, she underwent total gastrectomy in July 2011 at age 40…
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