Young adult glioblastoma survivor grateful for UT MD Anderson
In September 2021, Leah Alvarez was working as a step-down intensive care nurse with a specialty in neuroscience in Florida, caring for patients with brain, spine and nervous system disorders.
She and her husband, Cody, had welcomed their daughter, Harper, almost two years earlier.
When Leah started getting painful headaches in the back of her head, her colleagues said they were probably complicated migraines that can occur...
Rare double-hit leukemia survivor: ‘Go straight to UT MD Anderson’
Normally, leukemia is a disease that strikes old people and babies. So, when I was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in ...
Stage III triple-negative breast cancer survivor: Pay attention to your body
I exercise regularly, eat pretty well and maintain a healthy body weight. With the possible exception of 2020 — that first awful year of the...
Astrocytoma survivor: Why I joined a targeted therapy clinical trial at UT MD Anderson
Until Groundhog Day 2018, I’d been living a healthy and normal life in Austin with my wife, Amy, and our two young children. Then one day, I woke up with a really bad headache and wound up in the emergency room with suspected meningitis. A few days later, I learned the true culprit: a type of brain tumor called astrocytoma. That diagnosis turned my whole world upside-down.
I chose UT MD Anderson for my astrocytoma treatment...
Myelodysplastic syndrome survivor: UT MD Anderson helped me overcome cancer and become a mom
I’ve always wanted to have children. It’s something I’ve known about myself from a very young age.
So, when I found out the treatment...
A leukemia survivor’s perspective on aligning care with what matters most
When Britt Mayo received a phone call from his doctor at 7:15 a.m. after a routine physical, he knew it wouldn’t be good news.
“I remember...
Young adult astrocytoma survivor puts trust in doctors during treatment
Two months into her marriage and just two days before her 32nd birthday, Hannah Kahn learned that she had a brain tumor.
“I’ve...
Facing a pediatric brain tumor with a cheerful spirit
Audrey Yerian, known to her friends and family as “Audge,” is a 10-year-old competitive cheerleader from Tomball, Texas. Her passion for cheer...
Pancreatic cancer survivor grateful for UT MD Anderson
I’ve tried being normal my whole life. It just wouldn’t stick. Even my cells want to be different. When I had a double...
Stage IV lung cancer survivor: ‘Go straight to UT MD Anderson’
By the time I was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in the fall of 2024, it had spread all ...