If you — or your child — were diagnosed with cancer, what would you do? How would you handle the treatments and the side effects? How would you keep your spirits up? These are just a few of the topics our patients and caregivers discussed on our Cancerwise blog this year.
Here's some of the best advice they shared in 2017:
On making treatment decisions
When 8-year-old Elise Robinson was diagnosed with osteosarcoma...
Many cancer patients have mantras — or inspiring sayings — that they do their best to live by. Some are reminders that good things can come...
Cancer often brings a lot of questions and unknowns, especially when it comes to treatment options, side effects and what to expect — and...
In 2017, dozens of our cancer patients shared the stories of their diagnosis, treatment and life after cancer here on Cancerwise. As they told us about their challenges and fears, they revealed their strength, courage and resilience. And in the process, they each gave us hope.
Here are 10 of our most-read patient stories from 2017.
Ovarian cancer patient thankful for immunotherapy clinical trial
When Cathy Tompkins...
I’m lucky. Because although I’ve worn the all-too-familiar MD Anderson patient wristband off and on since July 2015, I’ve never actually had...
As the parent of a cancer patient, when you first step through the doors of MD Anderson, you’re terrified. You’re not supposed to be here....
MD Anderson’s Moon Shots Program™ was launched five years ago to increase the speed at which our scientists and physicians turn their research...
My name is Mason Ermis. When I was 9 years old, I began a journey that tested my courage and strength in ways I never thought possible. We...
Before my cancer diagnosis, I used to think that death steals life from us. Now I realize that it’s the other way around; death is the constant...
Bryan Bump knows the importance of annual physicals. They’ve saved his life -- twice.
In August 2011, Bryan, then 49, underwent a physical...
My husband and I have always taught our children to find the good in everything, even if they can’t see it at that moment.
But I was...
My whole life changed in June 2017. I had just finished my sophomore year at Texas Tech University. My life seemed pretty simple. I went to...
Between all of the decorating, baking, cooking, parties, shopping and events, the holiday season can be stressful. And, adding cancer treatment...
I recently finished my last chemotherapy treatment at MD Anderson in Sugar Land. It was a milestone that, at one point, I honestly thought...
For 78-year-old widower Do Lee, the hardest part of having stomach cancer wasn’t chemotherapy, radiation or even learning to eat again after...
As a metastatic breast cancer survivor, I participate in a lot of support groups. I’m probably active in at least five or six on Facebook...
The couch was Janice Simon’s refuge. Overwhelmed and exhausted, the comforting cushions and a healthy dose of HGTV temporarily kept the personal...
Surgeons at MD Anderson are using extreme heat and cold as their weapons against some forms of cancer.
They’re finding that the minimally...
In September 2014, when she was just eight years old, our daughter Elise was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. It was in...
Susan Gilchrist, M.D., loves to take on a challenge and to build things. Her latest passion is building a program that helps cancer patients...
As a child growing up in the 1950s, Dean Potter spent a great deal of time outdoors working on his family’s Rhode Island farm, playing at...
As a nurse, I’m a firm believer in vaccines. And that’s even truer now that I’m a survivor of cervical cancer, which is caused by the human...
Everyone on my father’s side of the family has died of cancer — my dad of prostate cancer, my grandpa of lung cancer, and my grandma of kidney...
For 16 years, Rose Trapolino had a hard time walking because of the pain and tingling in her feet.
The breast cancer survivor suffered...
In May 2016, Victor Barreiro learned his melanoma, originally treated in his hometown of Mexico City in 2014, had returned and spread throughout...
Some of cancer’s secrets are hiding in patients’ blood. Uncovering them involves only a simple blood draw.
MD Anderson is taking innovative...
Many of our head and neck cancer patients know Randal Weber, M.D., as their surgeon. But Weber recently took on a new role as MD Anderson’...
Finding out that you need chemotherapy can be overwhelming. But as I’ve learned from working with cancer patients as a nurse over the past...
While its name was inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s ambitious goal to put a man on the moon, the Moon Shots Program...
Julianne Pollard-Larkin, an assistant professor of Radiation Physics, always loved math and science. As a teen, she once signed herself up...
After I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in April 2015, I was treated at MD Anderson by Dr. Robert Orlowski with chemotherapy and a stem...
In February 2017, Stephen Hahn, M.D., was named MD Anderson's deputy president and chief operating officer. In this role, he’s responsible...
Five years after they got married, high school sweethearts Aly and Josh Taylor felt ready to grow their family. Aly had read that sore breasts...
I would like to say I survived cancer twice by being a positive person. But that’s not entirely true. Cancer was the hardest thing in...
When you have a rare cancer that only affects one in a million people, it can be difficult to find the answers and information you need. That...
My husband, Coleman Schoessow, draws vibrant, abstract, stream-of-consciousness art with ink on canvas. He discovered this hidden talent during...
When I was told I needed a stem cell transplant in the summer of 2015 to treat my myelofibrosis — a rare type of bone cancer — I thought it...
When I was recovering from a stem cell transplant after my multiple myeloma diagnosis, the nights were always the hardest. Visitors and caregivers...
Ethan Tepera was only 13 years old when he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in October 2011. He’d been pale and feeling nauseated...
Maybe I’m a late bloomer. After being diagnosed with triple-negative inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) in August 2007, I had a double mastectomy...
Certain types of chemotherapy and radiation therapy can weaken the immune system, putting cancer patients at increased risk for life-threatening...
I received my cervical cancer diagnosis in May 2010, at age 45.
A routine Pap test came back abnormal, and my local doctor wanted to...
When 5-year old Kloe Ponce started having severe headaches and experiencing sensitivity to bright lights and sounds, her family never suspected...
Lung cancer and breast cancer survivor Dian Snowden has been through a lot in the past 16 years. Not only has faced two cancer diagnoses,...
When you hear the word cancer, you begin to contemplate the finality of life and ask yourself a hundred questions: Will I survive? If treatment...
On Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, Kimberley Berry arrived at MD Anderson in her cowboy boots and Team Berry T-shirt, along with a dozen of her family...
Last June, I found out I had breast cancer. For me, the worst thing about getting that diagnosis was having to break the news to my 9-year-old...
In 2008, I was flying all over the country looking for a job. After a flight from San Antonio to Dallas, I got really sick. I had a bad pain...
Like many types of cancer treatment, radiation therapy can cause side effects and have a profound impact on patients. Many of my patients...
My brain tumor symptom came on Feb. 15, 2015. I was playing in a soccer match with my team -- Express -- at Meyer Park in Spring, Texas. I...
Rebecca Stedman believes that every experience had in life serves a purpose, and cancer is no exception.
“Just as I felt like I was...
Each year, approximately 100,000 women are diagnosed with some form of gynecologic cancer: cervical, ovarian, fallopian tube, uterine (also...
It’s been six years since I was first told that I had no evidence of acute myeloid leukemia. But thoughts about recurrence still pop into...
When Suzanne Callahan first came to MD Anderson in 1997, she was a terrified 38-year-old mother with stage IIIB breast cancer in her left...
Music has always been a part of James McManus’ life. The middle son in a family of musicians, he was the lead singer of a rock ‘n roll band...
When I started college, I had a specific vision of where my life was heading – I was going to be an Air Force pilot. I had a full Air Force...
Cancer treatment often requires patients to make changes to their daily routines or lifestyle habits. But just how much do you need to change...
I’m very seldom sick, so being diagnosed with colorectal cancer and ultimately needing a total pelvic exenteration at age 48 took me by surprise...
Bratton Fennell, 53, is one of the top-ranked distance runners for his age group in the Carolinas. During his brain tumor treatment, it turned...
After my double mastectomy in 2002, I vividly remember running on the beach and hearing some teenagers making fun of my child-like figure....
While many of our employees, patients and the Gulf Coast region continue to recover from Hurricane Harvey, one thing remains unchanged: MD...
I’ve always been good at math and science, so I’d given some thought to becoming a doctor, even as a teenager. Then cancer came along, and...
My late husband, Rocky, died of melanoma in 2008. He fought it three different times over the course of our 18-year marriage. He endured so...
As a bald, sick, 26-year-old cancer patient, I wasn't expecting to fall in love. I only weighed about 100 pounds, was taking multiple...
Whether you’ve just been diagnosed with cancer or told your disease is terminal, there’s always a place for hope. I truly believe I wouldn...
I’m really blessed that I found out about my anal cancer diagnosis early on. That’s a big part of the reason why I’m living without any evidence...
Sometimes I forget that I have pancreatic cancer because I just don’t believe it’s going to kill me.
In fact, I’ve never felt healthier...
I never realized how many children got cancer until I came to MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital. But the story of how I got there is...
Did you know that cancer treatments can cause changes to your skin? Sometimes these changes are simply cosmetic, but other times they may...
It was a 5.5-cm tumor wrapped around Jason McFarland’s pulmonary artery that threatened to end his 20-year career as a police officer and,...
As a funeral home owner and operator in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the Rev. Lawrence Meadows knows what it means when doctors start talking...
At first, Richard “Ricky” Harveston couldn’t swallow his hamburger bites. Then, he struggled to drink his milk, and what he managed to get...
Aaron Allcorn thought a persistent head cold was causing his stuffy nose and snoring.
But after what was supposed to be routine nasal...
For Ewing’s sarcoma and other types of sarcomas, treatment can sometimes include surgery to remove a tumor. That can also mean removing part...
When my parents were undergoing cancer treatment in the 1980s and early 2000s, I didn’t know how to help them cope with their diagnoses. I...
When Marian Fields first felt a lump in her back in 2012, she asked her twin sister Mary Jane to look at it. Her twin said it looked just...
Over the last 11 years, Katy Tucker has endured a nephrectomy, Gamma Knife® radiosurgery and six chemotherapy drugs. And though the 71-year-old...
If it hadn’t been for my mom, I might not be here today.
I thought I was in remission in the spring of 2008. I’d already completed...
When I was undergoing radiation therapy for my spinal tumor, I took my 12-year-old brother to the MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center. He wanted...
Phil Richmond never missed his annual physical, and he considers himself lucky for that. Because he smoked, his doctor performed a chest X-ray...
Suzanne Moilanen has lived in six countries in the last 30 years. And while she enjoyed living abroad, it also allowed her to get complacent...
I was in Mexico in the summer of 2013 when I came down with a bad case of diarrhea. That’s a pretty common complaint among travelers, so I...
As a radiation oncologist at MD Anderson in The Woodlands, I get a lot of questions from my patients about how radiation therapy will affect...
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, I remember thinking that if someone in our family had to face this disease, I was glad it...
It’s taken nine years, but Paulette Spivey finally can say with confidence that she’s living without any evidence of cancer.
“I know...
After doctors successfully removed a melanoma from J.P. Rodriguez’s back in 2006, he resumed his life – working, spending time with family...
Nearly a decade ago, Maria Newhouse’s father was told that his colorectal cancer had metastasized to his liver and lungs and that he had no...
The idea of chemotherapy terrified Pushpa Damle. She was scared of the side effects. She was scared of feeling weak. She was scared she couldn...
MD Anderson has been a part of Len Turpin’s family for generations. In the 1960s, his paternal great-grandmother was successfully treated...
When Suzanne Stone completed her first half-marathon in February, the achievement was extra sweet: she’d managed to finish the long-distance...
Twin sisters Ana and Roxana Lopez were only 17 when their mother died of breast cancer. Over the next eight years, several of their aunts...
As Barb White has learned, life’s other challenges don’t stop when you’re diagnosed with cancer.
In February 2014, Barb -- then age...
If you were told that there was a way to have surgery painlessly without general anesthesia, would you try it? Breast cancer survivor Kelly...
If Mary Lynn Moser could use one phrase to describe her Gamma Knife® surgery, it would be, “It looked a lot worse than it was.”
Like...
After God, I owe my life to MD Anderson.
In the fall of 2009, I started feeling not just tired, but exhausted. I also had an unpleasant...
When I went to see my gynecologist for my annual exam in November 2016, I brought up some concerning symptoms I’d noticed throughout my body...
Hearing you have a thyroid nodule can be scary, but it doesn’t always mean you have cancer. In fact, only about 10% of thyroid nodules are...
One of the first features you notice about Travis Arnold is his wide smile. And, Travis has every reason to beam. He graduated this past May...
Becky Roberds’ wedding was set for July 11, 2015. The 38-year-old had already selected her venue, invited the guests and tailored her dress...
“We were totally blown away,” Misty Wiggs says of finding out she was pregnant with her third child in April 2015.
For 12 years, Misty...
After a cancer diagnosis, many patients wait anxiously to hear the words “no evidence of disease.” But as Kimberly Hill has learned, the start...
Hardly anything can get in the way of John Kosmatka’s passion for running. Even after he underwent prostate cancer surgery in March 2015,...
In 1998, I became a labor and delivery nurse and loved it. I loved seeing the joy on new parents’ faces and holding the newborns.
But...
Growing up in Texas, living in Houston and having several family members who’d battled cancer, I was very aware of MD Anderson and its reputation...
What an exciting year this has been! On April 17, 2017, I celebrated my 62nd birthday. About a month later, I celebrated my 6th. Confused?...
When April Schweigert’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and then two years later ovarian cancer, her doctors suspected that this...
I’ve known my whole life that I wanted to be a doctor, just like my father. So when I got into medical school, I was thrilled to start down...
My son Gavin recently turned 13. My husband and I call him our miracle baby, but I don’t think he fully understands why. When he was little...
As Rebecca Stedman has learned firsthand, breast cancer treatment doesn’t always go as planned. That’s why she’s glad that she started her...
I’ve known people who’ve been through cancer treatment before, but until my dad was diagnosed with stage IV B-cell lymphoma — a type of non-Hodgkin...
When Dianne Simpson rang the bell at MD Anderson on April 10 to signify the end of her high-grade serous ovarian cancer treatment, she considered...
In March 2014, I tried to connect a boat trailer to my minivan, ploughed head-first into the closed tailgate and really hurt my neck....
Until recently, decades passed with little progress in improving the survival rates of parathyroid cancer patients. But our specialized, multidisciplinary...
During the last 16 years, Dian Snowden has sought treatment at MD Anderson for numerous health issues, including thyroid cancer screening...
Kurt Gibson knows life is an amazing race. During his last semester of college, the 22-year-old ultimate Frisbee player began to notice that...
After being diagnosed with stage IB cervical cancer in October 2012, Allison Pozzi consulted four different specialists near her San Francisco...
When I turned 40 and it was time to schedule my first mammogram, I was hesitant to do so. I’ve heard many frightening stories about how painful...
On the back of Alicia Bennett’s favorite T-shirt is her design of a tree with the words, “Go out on a limb.”
The shirt honors the 17...
My dad was initially diagnosed with stage II kidney cancer in January 2002. But the tumor in his kidney was contained, and surgery successfully...
I am the only person in my family who has survived cancer. My mother died of leukemia when I was 29, my father and stepfather died of stomach...
Each year, more than 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer. And though it most often occurs in women over age 40, younger women...
Just over three years ago, my son, Damon, now 12, was getting a hug from his mom when she noticed a lump on his left arm. She took him straight...
Radiation therapy to the pelvis is commonly used to treat women with lower gastrointestinal tract cancers, as well as gynecologic cancers,...
People think I’ve gone mad when I tell them that having stage I invasive ductal carcinoma — a type of breast cancer — was really a blessing...
Linda Phetphongsy is still trying to adjust to life with breast implants, though she welcomes the peace of mind they bring her.
“I...
Veronika Fitzgerald is still amazed by the events that led up to her papillary thyroid cancer diagnosis.
In the fall of 2015, she began...
So, you’ve been through the discomfort and awkwardness of your Pap test, and you’ve gotten the unexpected call from your doctor: Your Pap...
I was a just a young, 20-year-old in college student when the symptoms began. In early November 2005, I started having bad headaches and dizzy...
A laryngectomy -- or a procedure to remove the voice box -- can bring up a lot of different emotions and concerns. It can also raise a lot...
I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 at the age of 38. My treatment consisted of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation over the course...
An acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis (AML) in May 2016 came as no real surprise to Julia Dutton. She’d been fighting debilitating fatigue for...
They were inseparable for nearly a month, but Kate Arnold definitely felt more hate than love for Sheeba, her “constant companion” -- and...
If you’re always feeling physically, mentally or emotionally exhausted, you’re not alone. Fatigue is the most common side effect experienced...
Michelle Hines has never had ovarian cancer. But that didn’t stop the Maryland transplant from making a quilt that directly supports MD Anderson...
Gary Rudman has a motto: “Never quit. Never stop. Not today. Not ever.” And he’s lived by it throughout his multiple myeloma journey....
When it comes to cervical cancer, there are a lot of myths and misunderstandings. That includes a lot of confusion about what causes cervical...
More than half of cancer patients will receive radiation therapy, but what is it? Does it hurt? And what are the side effects?
We spoke...
After her second chemotherapy infusion, Naomi Ziva realized that she was going to need more than medication to get through metastatic colorectal...
Caring for my husband, Wayne, during his cancer journey enriched my life because we were able to spend so much time together.
What do you do when your body doesn’t respond to physical training in the same way it did just a few years ago? How do you react if you feel...
Between 8% and 18% of cancer patients have diabetes, a chronic condition that impacts the ability to regulate blood sugar levels. And, for...
Carl Heineck never suspected the cough he developed four years ago was a lung cancer symptom.
He had trouble climbing short inclines...
A brain tumor diagnosis and treatment can bring many questions. That’s why John de Groot, M.D., co-leader of our Glioblastoma Moon Shot™,...
Some people get married. Some have children. Some get divorced. Some get cancer. Nelda Blair believes that while these are all life-changing...
Before I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, I’d never had a mammogram. I was only 38 at the time, so I hadn’t started getting that...
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer, it may be hard to find others who’ve received the same diagnosis....
April 4 is just another day to most people. But to Erika Evans, it’s an important one. This year, it marked the fifth anniversary of the day...
Recently, I had an experience I feel compelled to share. First, so that my soul will settle about it. And second, so that I can show the people...
Getting enough calories and protein helps patients stay strong and fight cancer as well as other infections.
But studies show that...
Even though Robin Odle knew she needed a colonoscopy when she turned 50, she put it off.
“I’d been traumatized by a prior GI test,...
Ovarian cancer symptoms can be rather vague – bloating, a feeling of fullness and/or constipation. But Diane Sarver didn’t have any of these...
When Maja Latham’s father was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer, she got aggressive, too.
As the “researcher” in...
In the middle of 2014, Daron Gribble received some unexpected news: a persistent sore spot under his right cheekbone had tested positive for...
Gary Rudman began experiencing severe lower back and leg pain in early 2013, just a few years after he retired from the U.S. Air Force. His...
Bloating. A feeling of fullness. Constipation. All of these can be symptoms of ovarian cancer. They can also be the result of a bad meal.<...
Kelly Mireles’ smile is the facial feature most people notice when first meeting her. That alone is a minor miracle.
Kelly had most...
I wish the HPV vaccine had been available when I was younger.
If it had been, I might not have developed the tonsil cancer that stole...
When breast cancer spreads beyond the breast and the lymph nodes, it’s known as metastatic breast cancer. Most commonly, breast cancer spreads...
Sally Hargroves has always been active and full of energy, so when the Floridian became increasingly tired in 2010, she suspected something...
There are many myths surrounding sugar and cancer treatment. But what do cancer patients really need to know about sugar to make sure they...
Kate Arnold isn’t entirely sure when her journey with non-Hodgkin lymphoma started.
“I probably was walking around with cancer for...
At age 62, Tom Jackson was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The diagnosis is common among men his age, so he took it in stride.
But...
When cancer spreads to the central nervous system, it usually goes to the brain tissue. In a small but growing number of cases, though, it...
When you receive a cancer diagnosis, you quickly learn just how precious life is.
Almost seven years ago, I learned I had stage IIIC...
When Nancy Pinkston’s melanoma crept back, taking up residence in lymph nodes under her right arm, she and her oncologist in Dallas discussed...
Even when Shannon Long found out that she had an acoustic neuroma, a type of benign brain tumor, her gratitude never wavered.
“I was...
Growing up in Lebanon, good health came easily to Vartkes Taktajian. Running, soccer and basketball filled many of the natural athlete’s hours...
The first time Anthony Palmer assisted on an intradural spinal tumor surgery, the spinal nerves looked like fiber-optic cables, he thought...
Tucked away in our Head and Neck Center are three artists. But instead of choosing the perfect color for a painting, they select the perfect...
As an attorney, Corey Ellis has endured strict deadlines and harsh hours. All of that, though, pales in comparison to the stress he experienced...
Ava can’t take her eyes off the laptop screen. But it’s not a game or a movie that has so fully captured the 7-year-old’s attention. It’s...
Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that helps your body fight infection. A condition called neutropenia occurs when the number of...
Everyone’s cancer journey is unique, and mine has certainly been more unusual than most.
It began in August 2005, when I was diagnosed...
Like many students, Jasmine Ross started her junior year diving into new classes and projects, but in February 2011, the Texas A&M University-Corpus...
How do I download MD Anderson’s app? Which medical websites can I trust? Where can I find the latest research on my disease?
The information...
Historically, a lot of people who’ve had cancer didn’t have good outcomes. But it’s through their hardships — and the continuous breakthroughs...
When Sherry Zorzi first picked up a cigarette as a teenager, she never dreamed that one day she’d be telling people not to smoke.
“...
Nimble robotic digits smaller than a finger that can excise cancerous tissue from the throat without cracking the patient’s jaw. Patient-physician...
A growing number of adults under age 50 are facing colorectal cancer, and while cancer at any age brings lifestyle changes, these changes...
By the time Jennifer Weihe decided to try laser interstitial thermal therapy, or LITT, with neurosurgeon Ganesh Rao, M.D., she’d already been...
Oscar Ruiz’s home is decorated with many photos he’s taken, from architectural shots and scenes he’s encountered during his travels to images...
When I proposed to my girlfriend, Sarah, in September 2013, I thought that would be the biggest moment of my year. Little did I know that...
Last fall, Carol Porter, D.N.P., joined MD Anderson as vice president of Nursing Practice and chief nursing officer. In this role, she provides...
Debbie Ann Heckeroth wants everyone to know it’s possible to live a good life while having stage IV cancer.
Debbie lived in California...
When Cathy Tompkins complained of an unusual pain near her sternum, doctors took an X-ray and told her she was likely constipated. When her...
In the late 1990s, doctors began to pay attention to chemobrain, a term used by an increasing number of patients to describe mental symptoms...
Before I was diagnosed with cancer in June 1998, I wanted to be a princess, a teacher or a veterinarian.
Instead, I became a registered...
At increased risk for skin cancer? You may need regular skin cancer screening exams. These screening exams help find skin cancer early, when...
My journey to MD Anderson began in November 2012, when I came down with what I thought was a 24-hour stomach flu. My doctor referred me to...
When you first come to MD Anderson, you may be so overwhelmed that you have a real sense of urgency when you get here. Maybe you feel like...
When my very first mammogram revealed stage IIIC breast cancer, I was dealt the shock of my life.
My mother died just seven months...
As someone who’s still in the midst of his cancer journey, I can honestly tell you that having cancer isn’t all doom and gloom. In fact, living...
If you ask Tracy E. Thomas, living with cancer becomes much easier when you learn to shift your focus to something else. For him, that’s meant...
I grew up in a medical family. My father was a doctor, and my mother was hospital dietitian. So, I've been familiar with medicine and medical...
Hashmat Effendi has spent much of her life organizing teams of medical professionals from the United States to travel to various developing...
While there are no foods that can kill cancer cells, the foods you eat during cancer treatment can have a big impact. Changes to your diet...
Random nose bleeds and unexplained bruises were Edgar Villalta’s first clues that something was wrong. Then little red dots appeared all over...
I might be the only MD Anderson patient who never had cancer. Or, at least, that’s how I felt on that winter day in 2008 when I first entered...
In June 2015, I was visiting my parents when I came down with a sore throat and found a flesh-colored lump on the right side of my tongue....
One of the things that I learned as a testicular cancer patient at MD Anderson is that distraction is the name of the game. Our brains are...
My brain tumor diagnosis came suddenly. I had no pain, headaches or any kind of warning. On Oct. 3, 2016, I had difficulty conveying my thoughts...
The connection between what we eat and how we feel is so elementary, yet for some reason we forget or push it to the side.
But as a...
After an MRI in 2004 for back pain, my doctor found a cyst on the right side of my stomach that had to come out. A surgeon in Abbeville, Louisiana...
I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin diffuse B-cell lymphoma on Aug. 14, 2015, and since then, I have undergone three rounds of chemotherapy,...
Marne Shafer thought her running days were behind her after she received a total gastrectomy, a surgical removal of the stomach and nearby...
While I was shaving one morning in 2012, I noticed a large lump under my jaw. I immediately made an appointment to see an ear, nose and throat...
Before I had testicular cancer, I was a really cynical person. I looked at the glass as half-empty. And I saw everything in life as just a...
Your doctor may recommend that you undergo a stem cell transplant if you’ve been diagnosed with a blood cancer, such as leukemia, lymphoma...
When Pam Scarpino was diagnosed with stage IIIC high-grade serous ovarian cancer in October 2007, her local oncologist told her she was really...
Singer Kimmie Rhodes had been married to legendary music producer Joe Gracey for 28 years when he died of metastatic esophageal cancer in...
I started smoking when I was 17 years old. Nearly two decades later, at 36, my smoking addiction had taken ownership of my life, and I hated...
I was diagnosed with melanoma in October 2014, at the age of 26.
It all started with a bump on my scalp, which nobody could really...
When I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma in August 2015, my main concern was for my family. What was I going to tell my family...
When Sandra Hurley was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) back in 1997, an Ohio-based oncologist gave her two to four more...
Multiple myeloma patient Don Kendall had a pretty good idea what to expect when he began his stem cell transplant in January 2014.
...
Singer and songwriter Kimmie Rhodes holds a somewhat unique distinction: she’s supported two different people on their oral cancer journeys...
59-year-old John Lange was focused on his work for a commercial airline and looking forward to a long, active retirement when, in December...
In 1980, Jack Brown was 38 and busy working in oilfield sales. When a lump appeared on his left groin, he ignored it until his wife, Bobbie...
As I entered the fall of 2016, I found myself excited about my brother Herman’s cancer-free status. He had returned from MD Anderson at the...
Tim Orellano knew something was wrong when minimal physical activity made him short of breath. “Other than acid reflux, I considered myself...