My stage IV colon cancer odyssey
In hindsight, my colon cancer diagnosis seems so obvious. My gastroenterologist asked me to repeat a routine blood test in December 2006.?He asked if I was tired. I responded, ¡°Of course, I am ¨C I just tiled a bathroom, and my wife is pregnant with our third child.¡±?
That¡¯s when the bad news started to come. My doctor said that I¡¯d already lost half of my red blood cells, likely related to the ulcerative colitis I¡¯d been...
Synovial sarcoma prepared me for my next big adventure
In December 2015, I walked across the stage of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University¡¯s commencement ceremony with a Bachelor of Science in...
Q&A: Understanding acoustic neuroma
Acoustic neuroma is a benign tumor, which means it isn¡¯t cancerous. It begins in the Schwann cells of the vestibular nerve, which is associated...
Thriving after my bone marrow transplant
I am a thriver, a bone marrow transplant survivor. I can say this because of the support of my family, friends, doctors at MD Anderson and my bone marrow donor. The latter were total strangers to me until I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in January 2013.
At my Florida doctor¡¯s recommendation, I traveled to MD Anderson with my oldest daughter, Shannon, and a dear friend. After a lot of testing, my doctors at MD...
Surviving stage IV colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer doesn¡¯t run in my family, so I never thought that it would be a battle I had to face at age 27. That changed when I noticed...
AML survivor: Where to relax at MD Anderson
During my acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment, I sometimes had to wait for an appointment when I came to MD Anderson. Most of the time,...
From Ewing's sarcoma patient to nurse
When Erica Nowell tells her patients that she knows what they¡¯re going through, she means it. Nowell first walked MD Anderson¡¯s halls when...
Two-time lymphoma survivor: 'I'm alive to try'
When cancer returns for a second time, things get a lot more serious. Especially when the recurrence appears in your spine. I know because...
Pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma patient spreads hope
It all started with just a tiny lump on his wrist.
In the summer of 2014, Kobee Cohen, then 8 years old, noticed a tiny growth on the...
Nurse: 'Having thyroid cancer made me a better caregiver'
As an MD Anderson research nurse whose mother and sister have both received cancer treatment, I understand what my patients ¨C and especially...
How a nurse practitioner made me feel like family
A few weeks shy of my 29th birthday, I discovered a pea-sized lump in my armpit. After an abnormal ultrasound and mammogram, I scheduled an...
Life lessons from breast cancer
I sat at work lacking any form of concentration, and the minutes felt like hours. Deep down I knew something was wrong, but I didn't want...
Where MD Anderson patients made important connections
Cancer can feel very isolating. But it can help to connect with others who¡¯ve been there.
We recently asked several patients and survivors...
Angiosarcoma survivor: 3 ways to support a friend with cancer
As a cancer survivor, I hear this often: ¡°My friend was just diagnosed with cancer. How can I show my support? I¡¯m so afraid I¡¯ll say or do...
My chondrosarcoma journey: It takes a team
Around April 2015, I started to experience mild headaches. They weren¡¯t unmanageable, but they kept lingering. At the time, I didn¡¯t think...
Squamous cell carcinoma caregiver gives back
Ten months ago, doctors told my brother, Eric, that he had squamous cell carcinoma in his nasal cavity. My family and I were concerned, not...
Genetics expertise helps make precision medicine a reality
Ben Gilmer chokes up when talking about walking his daughter down the aisle last May. He wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d be alive to make that stroll after...