Surgery: 1,095 Real Stories
1,095 stories match surgery. 777 of them mention chemotherapy.
Colorectal Cancer: Annemarie’s Survivor Story
Annemarie Merscher was already used to close medical monitoring before colorectal cancer was found. Because of polyps, she had colonoscopies and rectoscopies every 6 months from 2006 to 2014. She also lived with a donor liver and immunosuppressive medication…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Keith’s Survivor Story
Keith Akins had worked hard to improve his health before cancer entered the picture. In 2020, he changed his diet and exercise habits and lost 75 lbs, feeling healthier than he had in years. In 2024, his doctor recommended that he start colon cancer screening…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Julia’s Survivor Story
Julia Weithe was 29 when colorectal cancer was diagnosed in October 2022. For years, her bowel had reacted strongly to stress, but in 2022 she developed severe bloody stools that clearly felt different. Colonoscopy found malignant polyps, and surgery was able…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Jessica’s Patient Story
Jessica Everts first went to her primary care doctor because she had near-constant stomachache and blood in her stool. She was referred to a GI specialist who came to town once a week, and her colonoscopy was scheduled for January. She was told cancer would…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jutta’s Patient Story
Jutta Groß was 47, a single mother of 2, and already familiar with hereditary colorectal cancer risk. At 19, because of familial adenomatous polyposis and many colon polyps, her colon was removed and the small intestine was connected to the sphincter. She…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Taletha’s Survivor Story
Taletha Walls shared this story as the wife and caregiver of her husband, who was diagnosed with rectal cancer at age 67 after a colonoscopy. The finding came during the holiday season, and Taletha carried the news quietly from December 13, 2018, until…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Petra’s Survivor Story
Petra Markert was 52 when colon cancer was found after months of severe constipation. Several examinations had not explained the problem, and preparation for a planned colonoscopy failed because of intense nausea and vomiting. She was admitted to hospital as…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Judy’s Survivor Story
Judy Perdue is a mother of 3 with a high-stress healthcare career. When she noticed a little blood, loose stools, and some pain, it was easy to think the problem might be hemorrhoids. A colonoscopy changed everything by finding rectal cancer when Judy was 44…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Karl’s Survivor Story
Karl Bergmann was 82 when he reflected on rectal cancer first diagnosed 23 years earlier. Blood in his stool initially seemed like hemorrhoids to him, but his wife and daughter pushed him to be examined. Colonoscopy found rectal cancer. Surgery removed the…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Lauren’s Survivor Story
Lauren C. had no symptoms when she finally scheduled her first colonoscopy. Her primary care doctor had recommended screening in November 2021, and her OB-GYN pushed her to take it seriously by sharing colon cancer statistics for Black women. Lauren went…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Richard’s Survivor Story
Richard Linde was 61, married, and a father of 2 when he described colorectal cancer diagnosed 2 years earlier. He had not felt generally ill. The warning sign was repeated blood in his stool, which led him to contact his family doctor after 3 days…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Joanne’s Survivor Story
Joanne Kowalec was 40, a mother of 3, and working full time as a nurse when symptoms began to build. Heartburn, bloating, fatigue, and constipation were easy to connect to aging or a busy life. A dull pain in her left upper abdomen had also been present for a…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Johanna’s Patient Story
Johanna Vogel was a 24-year-old student living with familial adenomatous polyposis, or FAP, an inherited condition that can fill the colon with polyps and greatly increase colorectal cancer risk. Her father died young from colorectal cancer, and his illness…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Sebastian’s Patient Story
Sebastian Siemens was 49, married, a father, and self-employed as an electrician when metastatic colorectal cancer reshaped his life. He had bowel problems for a long time, but the symptom that finally pushed him to seek care was severe exhaustion that made…
Read this storyBreast Cancer Patient Story
A woman had already completed chemotherapy and surgery for breast cancer and had returned to work when a 1-year postoperative checkup brought upsetting news: the cancer had spread to lymph nodes. The recurrence did not shock her in the same way as the…
Read this storyBreast Cancer; separate uterine and thyroid cancer history Survivor Story
A woman had already lived through uterine cancer in her early 30s and a total hysterectomy. For years afterward, she dealt with menopausal symptoms and delayed her own care while her mother was seriously ill. She had also been followed for a lump in her left…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer Survivor Story
A daughter described her mother's breast cancer being found after a company health check in April 2009 recommended further testing. A local doctor saw a white shadow in the left breast and first considered calcification, but sent her to a larger hospital to…
Read this storyBreast Cancer Survivor Story
A man treated for breast cancer had already lived more than 10 years after his first surgery. During that long follow-up period, doctors sometimes found areas suspicious enough to require detailed tissue testing, but the most recent 6-month check-up showed no…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer Patient Story
In August 2009, a woman was hospitalized after abdominal bloating became too severe to ignore. Her family first thought constipation might be the cause, but testing showed advanced colon cancer. The cancer had spread through the large bowel area, with liver…
Read this storyBreast Cancer Survivor Story
A woman found a breast lump herself and had it checked when a breast specialist was visiting a nearby clinic. She was quickly sent to a hospital for testing and was diagnosed with breast cancer. The time from discovery to surgery moved fast, but she felt…
Read this storyBreast Cancer Patient Story
A 48-year-old woman had left breast-conserving surgery on September 30, 2011. Five days after starting hormone therapy, she was still dealing with the physical aftereffects of treatment, including pain under her arm, side effects from the medication, and a…
Read this storyBreast Cancer Patient Story
A woman in her 20s found a lump in her breast in June and quickly went for screening. The diagnosis was right breast cancer. She had breast-conserving surgery, but because the lump was fairly large, very little of the breast remained. Seeing the large scar…
Read this storyBreast Cancer Patient Story
A woman was diagnosed with breast cancer after testing in December. At first, the diagnosis brought shock and confusion. She blamed herself and worried that her own choices had caused the cancer, and her daughter also struggled with guilt. Then, as admission…
Read this storyBreast Cancer Survivor Story
About 5 years earlier, a woman learned that the results of a health check were concerning. She was encouraged to face the results directly and receive treatment. Further testing confirmed cancer, described as early-stage disease. Because it had been found…
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